Imagining the Impossible
by Donnie'sTwilight
Summary: Alexa is left to deal with the four turtles when they're little babies because Splinter can't watch them anymore, in fear that they'll be left without a parent when Shredder kills Splinter. So, she chooses to raise them so they have a parent. So, she's going to be responsible for her schoolwork/grades, the guys, and having a relationship with the most popular guy at her school.
1. Alexa's Story

_**Imagining the Impossible**_

**Title: **_Imagining the Impossible_

**Author: **_Donnie'sTwilight_

**Summary: **_Alexa's parents died on Halloween, 2008. That same night, a mysterious stranger leaves four babies on her doorstep. When she finds them, she freaks out, but she's compassionate towards them because they've lost their parents, too. So, in order for them to stay safe, she takes care of them, raising them as her own. She'll have lots of problems with this, as she's only thirteen and she has absolutely no family, but she'll survive on her own, and with the help of a guy who's gone through basically the same thing she has._

**Pairings: **_Alexa/Michael(Both of them are OC's I created, but they're still a couple in later chapters)_

**Rating: **_T(for the occasional images of blood and death)_

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own the Turtles. I __**soo **__wish I did, but I don't. I also don't own the band Panic at the Disco. But, I do own Alexa and Michael_

**A/N: **_I promise I will be updating the other stories on my account, but this is a story I had thought of. Explanation of the story and how I thought of it will be at the bottom of this chapter for anyone who wants to know._

**Chapter 1: **_Alexa's Story_

**POV: **_Alexa's-my OC_

I sat back on the couch, watching the news reporters talk about the mysterious murderer who had killed so many people in the past month. I believe hearing one of them say that he had killed over a hundred people, which was close to impossible in the past month. I was just glad that he was gone. The principal at the high school that the guy, Felix Carter, had tried to center at had shot him through the head.

"Alexa, we're going out, okay?" my mom called from behind the couch, getting my attention. "Don't go anywhere while we're gone."

I noticed how my dad and my brother, Max, were following behind her, so they must all be going somewhere. Then she remembered that Max had a football game to go to tonight. It just sucked that I couldn't go, because I was sick.

"But, where would I go?" I asked my mom.

"Precisely, my dear. You're sick so you don't want to go anywhere, which is exactly why you can't leave," my mom told me. What was that supposed to mean? My mom always had a way of confusing me.

"Oh-kay. Bye," I said, waving to them.

"Bye," my family said to me as they left the house, shutting the door behind them.

You wanna know the worst thing about getting sick on Halloween? You can't go trick-or-treating, which I was really looking forward to this year. All my friends were going tonight and I was supposed to go with them until I got sick. Yay, me. I'm stuck in my house all night, all alone. All by myself. What fun. Not.

I eventually turned off the TV since they were done talking about Felix. I had finally got that he killed exactly 197 people in thirty-one days, which was insane. He must kill people for a living. Well, he did until he was shot. I know I'm not a big fan of violence, but…ha! Ha ha! That's what he gets for killing people!

I grabbed my iPod and started messing around with it.

I wasn't allowed to have a cell phone until I was fifteen. All my friends had phones, because their parents wanted them to have cell phones. I was so heavily protected that I wasn't allowed to have a phone because they were afraid I was going to get a call from a guy that wanted to hurt me. I'm serious. That's the reason my mom gave me. Ridiculous, I know. But, that didn't stop me from answering the house phone on a regular basis.

I eventually turned on a Panic at the Disco song that I could remember off the top of my head, which is hard because a lot of their songs are so hard to memorize. Except for the few simple ones, like "Hurricane," "Bittersweet," and "We're Starving." I had all of those memorized along with "Nine in the Afternoon" which I absolutely adored. It was a cute music video, too. I sung along with the song.

"'Cause it's nine in the afternoon. And your eyes are the size of the moon. You could so you can so you do. We're feeling so good just the way that we do. When it's nine in afternoon, your eyes are the size of the moon," I sang, smiling to myself. I loved singing to myself. I don't think I have a good voice, although I've been in choir ever since I was in fourth grade. I just sang for the fun of it.

At around seven-thirty, the house phone rang behind me, shrill and loud. I reached behind me onto the table behind the couch and picked up the phone. "Hello?" I answered, turning off the music.

"Is this Alexandra?" the person on the other end asked.

"Yes," I said slowly.

"Okay, I am your dad's co-worker at the hospital"-my dad's a surgeon and doctor-"and I know you shouldn't be hearing this from me, but…" the guy trailed off.

"But what?" I queried.

"We're busy trying to save your mom," the guy admitted. I was confused. What the heck was that supposed to mean? And why didn't he mentioned Dad and Alex? Where were they? Was Dad trying to help out?

"What do you mean?" I asked, wanting to know the answer, but at the same time not wanting to. What happened to Mom?! I would go crazy if I didn't know.

"Your family was in a car crash earlier. A drunk driver was going the wrong way and he took out the entire left side of the car, where your dad and brother were sitting. A shard of glass from the windshield slit your mom's throat, but not deep enough to kill her within seconds. We're trying to stitch her up in time," the man explained.

I swallowed deeply, not sure how to react. Dad and Max were already…_dead?_ And my mom was close to dying?

But, within seconds, I started sobbing after throwing the phone on the floor, not wanting to hear anymore. I knew for a fact that hearing so many reports of car crashes that there are never survivors from crashes like that. There was no way Mom was living unless the doctors at the hospital are angels, and I know for a fact that they're not, not even my dad.

The phone rang and rang every few minutes, but I never wanted to answer it. I didn't want to hear the pity in the man's voice when he tells me that my mom died, too. It would probably be the same guy. I sure hope it wasn't, because even if I answered and it was a different guy, I wouldn't have to hear the guy's voice because he might not know about my dad and Max. Or maybe everyone at the hospital had heard. But, I didn't care because I didn't want to know.

I cried for about two hours before I got a knock on my door. I didn't really want to answer it, but my heart and my mind were trying to tell me that the guy was lying to me and that my family was home. That was what fueled me to get up, even though as I walked to the door my logical mind was trying to tell me that it was just a little kid coming to my house for candy, which we didn't have any. Or, I mean, _I _didn't have any candy.

I opened the door and looked around. No one. Stupid teenagers. Max's friends were always coming around when I was the only one home and they would knock on the door and running before I answered. I had caught them once, but I was way too slow to even care about that now. I didn't need this at the moment.

Before I shut the door, a small cry came from my feet. I looked down at the ground and found a box. It was a big box, but there was very good reason. Because, within it, there lay four little babies. And there was no one in sight. Uh-oh.

Instinctively feeling bad for the little babies, I brought the box inside. It was a rather heavy box, but I managed. I shut the door with my foot as I took the box and sat it down on the floor in front of the couch. All the babies were wrapped in blankets, and there was a note on one of the flaps of the box. Yanking it off, I read it out loud.

"I am so sorry to have bothered you. I do not wish to abandon my sons, but it is necessary. Someone is after me, and I do not wish to leave them without a home. Please understand and please do not abandon them. I will never be able to return to them, because I fear that I will never be able to. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience, but please have a heart and care for them. The way I should have been able to. Hamato Yoshi," I read. I looked at the little babies again. I felt tears sneak into my eyes again. Their father or mother was just leaving them here and never coming back? I really wanted to know why, although I would never see the person who left them here. I heard one of them cry softly and I looked at that one before picking it up.

The little one that had cried had red eyes, which I thought were really pretty. But, what upset me was that they were wet with tears that streaked his cheeks. I closed my eyes and rubbed the tears away, rocking the baby back and forth. That was when I realized that there was something off about this baby. I pulled the blanket back from the baby's face and I saw what was off. The baby's skin was _green!_ I gasped and pulled the blanket completely off of the baby and saw that he was a _turtle! A turtle!_ He had three fingers and toes, a plastron, and a shell.

Despite that part of my mind told me to give them to someone else, that I couldn't deal with this, especially after my family just _died,_ but he was, in one word, adorable! Oh, my God. He was too cute! I wiped the tears from his cheeks, smiling at him. He looked up at me with wet eyes, slightly smiling. And I could see that he was missing a tooth, and it surprised me that he had teeth at all. But, hey, he's a mutant. I suppose he had been mutated with teeth. But, he looked just about three days old. He was pretty small, about the size of a newborn infant.

Remembering the other little babies, I looked into the box. The rest of them were sleeping peacefully. I pulled back their blankets, and saw that they were also turtles. But, they were cute!

I felt the little turtle in my arms tug on my hair a bit, getting my attention. I looked at him and he sniffled a bit. "Are you okay?" I asked him. "Are you hurt?"

Realizing he most likely couldn't talk since he was a turtle, I mentally slapped myself. I rubbed his head, trying to calm him down. I had absolutely no clue how to deal with little kids. My brother, Max, he was three years older than me. So, I hadn't really dealt with any little siblings, meaning I had no experience with dealing with little babies. But, he seemed to calm down at my touch. He even nudged his head against my hand, signaling that he wanted me to keep petting him.

I realized after a few minutes that the turtles couldn't just be abandoned. I had to watch after them. I couldn't just let them be by themselves after their parents having to leave them. I made a vow right them that I would care for them and raise them up with a parent, because if not for me, they probably wouldn't ever have a parent. I rubbed the turtle's head again, getting a giggle out of him, before I slowly rocked him back to sleep, glad that something good had happened to me today.

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**A/N:** Okay, so I promised that I would explain where the story idea came from at the top. So, I wrote a story that I started in October of 2012 and I just finished writing it in June, so now I'm just editing, but it's an odd story. So, in October, near Halloween, all the scary movies start coming on TV again. So, I was watching Stephen King's It and A Nightmare on Elm Street, and I got a great story idea from both of those movies. The story is about these two people, whose parents died in 2008. In 2012, a bad guy comes back as a ghost after dying on Halloween and he basically is out to get those two people. Their goal is to get people at their school to believe in him before Halloween, but he's going to kill anyone and everyone who doesn't believe in him by Halloween at midnight. It's an interesting story. I've shared it with everyone in my core for the seventh grade and so far, anyone who's read it all or even part of it says they really like it. I just need to edit it now. So, I was reading a story on FanFiction about this girl watching Splinter and the guys being mutated, and he originally leaves one behind, and she watches him-Donnie-for a night. Then, she and Splinter raise them. I also read a story about Shredder being after Splinter, so, trying to keep the guys safe, he spreads them out all around the country, giving them to random families so they'll raise them and keep them safe. So, I got the idea to mix the turtles and my story-which is actually called Imagining the Impossible-and I got this idea. It should be a really good story. I would really appreciate it if you would read this story. I think it'll be really good, it's just that I have to go back and read my story again and add the turtles in. Hopefully, it turns out good.


	2. Breakfast Time

**Pairings: **_Alexa/Michael_

**A/N: **_Okay, so I will continue my other stories as soon as I keep finding ideas for them. For all of you who have waited forever for me to continue The Beginning of Something Beautiful, I'm really sorry. It's just that I sort of was at a loss for ideas and school was a big pain in the butt. But, I will update that story more often. And those of you waiting for Donnie's Adventures in Babysitting, I will update that, too. I will just have to think of ideas. And this chapter takes place right after the end of the last chapter._

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**Chapter 2: **_Breakfast Time_

**POV: **_Alexa(It will be in Alexa's point of view up until chapter 3, because that's when Alexa has to leave them alone for the first time, and I'm sure you'd want to know what happens to the guys. :)_

After the little turtle fell asleep in my arms, I placed him back in the box with his brothers. I took a minute to look at all of them. They were so cute. You just couldn't help but love them so much. They were especially cute when they were sleeping. I liked how they all instinctively curled up against one another and slept close together. I noticed how one of the turtles had wrapped an arm around the red-eyed turtle and pulled him closer, even if that turtle was asleep.

I could easily spot the differences between the four turtles, and I'd be able to recognize them just by looking at them. The one I had held had the lightest skin color. He had a slight hint of brown in his skin tone, though. It was a pretty color, though, like olives. Another one had almost lime green skin, with freckles dusted over his cheeks. The third one, who happened to be holding the one with freckles close, had a lightning bolt crack in his plastron, which I was honestly worried about. I would have to check that out soon. And the last one, who was holding the red-eyed turtle, had the greenest skin, and he was only slightly darker than the one with freckles. Easy enough to tell them apart, right?

I sat back against the couch, watching them sleep. I felt tears slip down my cheeks again, remembering why I was in such a bad mood before. It really hurt to know that the rest of my family was gone out of my life forever. I had grandparents, but they died when I was four. I didn't really know them all that well, except that my grandma didn't like me all that much for whatever reason.

I wrapped my arms around my knees and cried into them silently, my body shaking with the unheard sobs. They were all I had left and now they were just _gone._ Forever. No matter what anyone did, I'd never get them back.

I shook my head and looked back at the baby turtles. Okay, so I have them now. But, I didn't have any biological family left. There was no way they were my biological sons. First off, that would be really hard to understand because I'm human and there's no way I'd be able to have kids who look like turtles unless I mated with a turtle, which is not possible. Second of all, I'm only thirteen. I wasn't planning on having any kids or even being with a man that way until I was at least twenty. Also, I'd remember being pregnant.

Never mind that, though. It's not important. I looked at the turtles closely, wondering how I was going to be able to take care of them. Actually, the bigger question was how I was even going to take care of _myself._ I hadn't ever been without responsible adults watching over me. I wasn't sure how to do this. But, I was responsible. I'm sure I could figure out how to take care of myself, along with four little kids. It was sure to be difficult, though. Sigh.

I think I fell asleep, then, because the last thing I remember was closing my eyes to think and then everything went black. I think I was still crying as I fell asleep.

In the morning, I woke up to loud screaming, and I startled awake. I looked at the baby turtles, and found that the one with freckles was in tears, sobbing at the top of his little lungs. I assume the one with the crack in his plastron was responsible, as he was looking at the crying turtle smugly. Wow, what happened? I scooped up the crying turtle and he instantly curled up against my chest. Okay, how cute!

I sighed and rubbed the back of his head. I could feel his tears soaking through my shirt and it felt odd, like wearing a wet shirt with nothing underneath, which was basically the case now. How embarrassing. But, I had just slept on the couch comfortably almost all the day before, and bras aren't comfortable. Or, at least mine aren't.

Then I remembered that today was Monday. Crap, I have school. But, what was I supposed to do about the little ones? I couldn't just leave them here by themselves for at least eight hours! That would be ridiculously stupid!

After a few minutes of pacing around the room while bouncing the crying turtle slightly, who seemed to enjoy it greatly, I finally came to the idea to say I was sick. But, it didn't solve my problem for long. I couldn't ditch school the rest of my life. I happened to really want to get into a nice college. That wasn't possible if I dropped out of school to take care of these guys. I couldn't easily have a babysitter watch them. The babysitter would have to be sworn to secrecy because if someone were to expose them, then the government would take them and probably dissect them. So, not a good idea. But, skipping one day was a spur of the moment action that could not be repeated.

I sat down and grabbed the phone from the floor. Before I could dial in the number for the school, I saw how the other three turtles were looking up at me with hopeful expressions. Then I remembered the fourth one I had in my arms and I chuckled to myself.

"How could I be so mean as to only pay attention to one of you at a time?" I asked them theatrically, making the greenest turtle smile a bit. The one with red eyes squealed a bit at my over-the-top voice. I smiled a bit at him. I had paid him a lot of attention last night while his brothers were asleep. The one with the crack in his plastron didn't look impressed.

I slowly picked them up one by one and placed them on the couch close to me. The red-eyed turtle instinctively snuggled up against my side. _Cute!_ The greenest one sat on my other side, right up next to me. The one with the crack in his plastron sat next to the greenest turtle, looking at me. And the freckled turtle curled up in my lap and laid his head on my stomach. Okay, _how cute can these guys get?!_

I dialed the number to my school and explained to them that my sickness from yesterday still hadn't worn off and that I wouldn't be in school today. It wasn't an entire lie. I still wasn't feeling at the top of my game.

They were interested in the phone and I found it funny. When I handed the phone to the red-eyed turtle—he had tried to grab it first—he actually just looked at it in his hands, moving it around, while the other turtles just held it in their hands, not moving it. But, their interest in it was cute.

"Okay, so it's Monday today, which means that tomorrow I'm not going to be able to spend a lot of time with you tomorrow. But you guys get me all day today," I told them. They all looked confused by my words. "Never mind. You don't understand so it doesn't matter."

I sat on the couch for a few more minutes before I tried to get up. It was breakfast time. And I was hungry. I had totally skipped dinner last night and I didn't eat lunch yesterday because I wasn't feeling good. I needed food.

The turtles looked offended when I tried. "Guys, I'm sorry, but I really need to get up. I'm starving," I explained as I got to my feet, putting the turtle with freckles on the couch next to the red-eyed turtle. Then something occurred to me. "Are you guys hungry?"

They all looked up at me in confusion. "I'm betting you guys are. Come on. Let's go find something to eat," I said. One by one, I put them in the box and carried the box out to the kitchen. I set the box on the kitchen table. "Stay here, okay?"

I went to the fridge and looked around inside. I pulled out the quart of orange juice and the carton of eggs. "You guys like eggs, right?" I asked them. When they didn't respond, I looked away. I'm just talking to myself. I decided to make myself an egg and then let them try a bite. If they liked it, I'd make more. If they didn't, I'd find something else to feed them.

I made my egg in a matter of ten minutes. When I put my egg on my plate, I poured myself a cup of orange juice and put everything away before sitting down at the table with my breakfast.

The turtles stared in wonder at what was on my plate, except for the red-eyed turtle. He was more interested in what was in my cup. "Hey?" I asked him, poking him a bit. He looked at me. "Do you want some?" I help up the glass. He nodded slightly. Hey, I wasn't talking to myself that time! I pulled the red-eyed turtle out of the box and sat him on the table in front of me. The other turtles watched curiously at what I was doing with their brother. I raised the glass to the red-eyed turtle and he opened his mouth. I slowly titled the glass down slightly. For the most part, it got in his mouth and he swallowed. Some dribbled down his chin and his plastron, getting him all sticky.

"Hey, you did better than I expected you would," I told him as I got up to go get napkins from a cabinet. I was smart enough to take my orange juice with me because the red-eyed turtle looked like he really wanted more.

While I was grabbing napkins, I found something in the back of the cabinet. I chuckled. "I didn't realize we had kept these all these years," I said to myself as I pulled out the two sippycups my brother and I had used when we were little. "And it's just what I need."

I brought the napkins to the table and cleaned up the little turtle. He seemed to be enjoying this. It was really cute. But, what the cutest thing was when I started to wipe his plastron off, he started giggling like I was tickling him. His laughter was infectious. I started laughing as I raised an eyebrow in wonder and adoration. Maybe his plastron is ticklish. Hmm. I'd have to remember that.

After I finished cleaning him up, I placed a finger on his plastron lightly and he started giggling again. _Aw! He's so adorable! _I pulled my finger back and went to go fill up one of the sippycups with orange juice for the little turtle. I made sure to clean it out first because I'm sure it has collected lots of dust in the back of the cabinet. Wouldn't want the little turtle to get sick because I forgot to rinse it out.

When it was clean, I poured orange juice into it and sealed the top on. I brought it back to the table with my orange juice. I gave the sippycup to the red-eyed turtle. He instantly took it in his hands and began looking over it. I helped him out and he began sucking on it, getting the orange juice out. Okay, that's cute.

Now to satisfy the other little guys. I picked up a forkful of eggs-I'm sure they were cool by now-and I held it up to the greenest turtle's mouth. "Open up," I said and I'm surprised he did. I slid the fork into his mouth and dumped the contents in his mouth. "Close and knew."

He slowly began chewing on the eggs before swallowing. He looked at me expectantly. I chuckled. "Okay, so that's one of you who likes eggs," I said, smiling.

I fed the other two and they both liked eggs, too. Okay, that's even more eggs to make. I looked over at the red-eyed turtle, who had his eyes closed as he leaned his head back to get the rest of the juice out. The cup was empty. "Wow," I said and he looked up at me, dropping the cup on the table. "You _really_ love orange juice, don't you?"

He ignored my words, picked the cup up again, and continued to drain the cup of any traces of orange juice. I chuckled again. "Come on. I've got to figure out if you like eggs or not," I said to him.

When the cup was empty, I fed him some eggs and he really liked eggs, just like his brother. Okay. Now I have to take my eggs with me. I was really afraid that the red-eyed turtle knew how to pick up my fork and all my eggs would be gone by the time I got back. He seemed to be a little smarter than his brothers.

I made some more eggs for the turtles. I let them cool a bit before taking the eggs to the table. I had finished my eggs while the food for the turtles had cooked. So, I could I have time to feed them.

They happily ate the eggs within twenty minutes. I was glad that they like eggs. I do, too. And yes, I eventually gave the red-eyed turtle's sippycup to one of them, gave another turtle the other sippycup, and I let the last turtle drink from my cup. He was the cleanest drinker out of the four when it came to drinking out of real cups. Good. He didn't spill much, less than the red-eyed turtle.

I noticed how the red-eyed turtle didn't eat all that much, because he drank all that orange juice before. I would know because I actually used to drink a lot and then I wouldn't be hungry. But, he was pretty satisfied with his breakfast, as were the others. But, they were kind of messy. Even with the sippycups, the freckled turtle and the turtle with the crack in his plastron still managed to spill on themselves. I shook my head, smiling.

"Okay, now that breakfast is done, I need to do the dishes. I don't want them piling up in the sink for me to deal with when I feel like it. Do you guys want to help me?" I asked them, smirking. I'm talking to myself again. What a surprise. Instead of waiting forever for an answer, I carried them one by one and put them on the counter by the sink. Then, I collected all the dishes and put them all in the sink. The turtles watched me with curiosity. I ran the water into the sink as I ducked down and grabbed the dish soap. Okay, so most of the houses in the neighborhood have dishwashers. Mine doesn't, even though my house is much newer than more than half of them. It's odd. But, I didn't normally complain because I never did dishes much.

I added some soap to the water and the turtles gasped in shock at the bubbles. I smiled at them. Now that I think about it, I'd probably have to give them a bath. I would make sure to make it with extra bubbles, since they seem to like it.

I washed and rinsed while the turtles watched me. I took my time drying everything before placing them in their proper spots. But, while I had dried everything, I just stacked everything neatly on the counter for it to be where I would know where it was.

Secretly, I was afraid they'd accidentally break something and hurt themselves, but apparently, that was not the problem I should be worried about because when I turned back to the sink after putting everything away, I saw that one of the turtles was gone. I squeaked and looked around, hoping he hadn't fallen off the counter and crawled off.

But, I didn't look in the one place he ended up being. In the sink. When I had come back out to the kitchen after looking all around the first floor for the lost turtle, the red-eyed turtle's head came popping out from the bubbles in the sink. I gasped and ran over there. He was smiling, the top of his head covered his head. But, when he saw my expression, his smile fell.

"You could've drowned in there. You really scared me," I told him. He closed his eyes, and he sighed softly.

Wait, what was I talking about? They're turtles. They're really good at holding their breath underwater. Okay, now I feel really stupid. The only way he would've drowned was if he either hadn't been paying attention or he was under there for a really long time, or unless one of his brothers was holding him down, and I would've noticed that. It was probably only two minutes that he was under, which isn't long for a turtle. Anyway, I'm sure he has instincts not to stay underwater for a really long time. Great, now I upset him.

Gently, I stroked his cheeks and he looked up at me sadly. "I'm really sorry for upsetting you," I told him. "I shouldn't have freaked out. You were just curious and I know now that you wouldn't have drowned. Just…don't do that again, okay?" Then I thought about something. He fit perfectly inside the sink. Why don't I just give him a bath here?

I pulled the dish soap back out and he looked at me excitedly. He must already associate the bottle with bubbles, which was pretty cool. He was probably smarter than the average human at this age. I poured some of the soap on my hands and began lathering him in the soap, which he absolutely adored. He giggled so hard when I rubbed his plastron and I couldn't help but laugh, as well.

As soon as he was done with his bath, I grabbed a towel from upstairs and I dried him off. I sat him on the counter again. He sat on the counter patiently, smiling widely, glad I had given him a bath and let him play with the bubbles.

I quickly gave the rest of them baths and the one with the crack in his plastron was the only one who didn't enjoy it as much as the others. I think that the red-eyed one and the one with freckles were the ones that enjoyed it the most.

I relaxed with the last of the day and I tried to explain to them what would be happening tomorrow and where I would be. I don't think they got it. I would just have to hope for the best.

At nine, I put them in their box and tucked them in. I kissed them all on the foreheads and they all smiled, even the one with the crack in his plastron, who I am starting to notice how he doesn't seem as nice as the other three.

I brought the box up to my room and I put the box on the floor by my bed. I crawled into bed and closed my eyes, shutting off the lights. Tomorrow would be a _long _day.


	3. Home Alone

**Pairings: **_Alexa/Michael_

**A/N: **_Okay, I just recently finished up The Beginning of Something Beautiful. The only two stories I have going now are Donnie's Adventures in Babysitting and this one. Thank you for all of you waiting for chapter 4 of Donnie's Adventures in Babysitting. I promise I'll add a chapter soon. I just need some time to brainstorm and I have a few ideas._

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**Chapter 3: **_Home Alone_

**POV: **_Donnie's(That's because Donnie's the one who will be able to understand more, and think more. So it'll be more interesting in Donnie's point of view.)_

I stretched my arms a bit as I woke up at a loud noise. I had woken up because it had startled me. Apparently, it hadn't disturbed my brothers. I blinked my eyes, getting used to the light. I wasn't sure when the light had come on.

I looked around and met the nice girl's blue eyes. She smiled down at me and picked me up. I couldn't help but giggle. She was so nice to me. She set me down on the bed, and I wiggled my toes. The bed was soft, just like my blanket.

"Okay. You have to stay here. I need to go get ready for school. Do you remember what I said to you yesterday?" she asked. I bit my lip before shaking my head. What had she said? "Never mind. Just stay up here. I'll put your brothers up here. Just don't go anywhere. Do you understand?" I nodded slightly. "Good."

She brought the box that contained my brothers up onto the bed before disappearing through a door. What? Where was she going?

One of my brothers shook his head and sat up slowly. I looked at him and he looked back before crawling out of the box and joined me on the bed. He nudged his snout against mine. I smiled, exposing my teeth.

This was my brother that was only a week older than me. He always did this with me. He thought it was nice to do that and it was nice. I liked it. My next oldest brother was maybe three weeks older than me. And my oldest brother was a month older than me. So, I was the baby. I think I was about four days old. I wasn't sure, though.

About twenty minutes, the nice blue-eyed girl came back out. I was curled up on one of the pillows and my other brothers were surrounding me. She smiled at us before disappearing through another door. Why won't she stay with us? Not cool.

She came back out again when all of my brothers were awake yet again. They seemed to be up for good. That was when she sat down by us, sliding onto the bed and petting all of our heads. I smiled at her, forgetting why I had been slightly annoyed with her. I rubbed my head against her soft touch.

"Okay, so like I explained last night, I have to leave today. I swear, I will be back, but not for a while. I will leave the two sippycups full of orange juice with you guys since you obviously like it. And I will leave some…graham crackers for you to eat. I'm sorry I can't stay with you guys. It's going to be like this for the next four days, then you'll have me all weekend. I promise you, I will return to you guys. I'm not leaving you forever. Okay, we have about an hour before I need to leave. I will feed you guys and get you guys settled in. Maybe I'll play a movie for you. Whatever. I just need you guys to behave today and every other day that I'm gone," she explained, stroking the back of my head. I smiled peacefully. "Do you guys understand?"

I nodded. She was going to be gone for the big majority of the day. She would leave us with food and drink and a movie, whatever a movie is. And we need to behave. "Okay, that's good enough. I expect you to watch out for your brothers. Do you understand?" she asked me. I nodded. "Good."

She put us all back in the box and carried us downstairs along with some pillows and a big, soft blanket. She dropped the pillows and blankets off on the couch and carried us to the kitchen.

Okay, for a four-day old kid—or maybe five days, I don't know—I was smarter than my brothers. I'm sure by far. My brothers didn't really understand what the nice woman as saying to us. Or, at least I'm not sure at this point.

She fed us eggs again, which were really good, just like yesterday. And she gave us more orange juice, which I was grateful for. I really liked the orange juice.

After breakfast, the nice girl tucked me and my brothers in on the couch with our blanket, along with our separate blankets that we came to her house with. After she made sure we were all warm, she gave me something. It looked really cool and it felt cool, too. I just wasn't sure what it was.

She smiled at us. "Keep the remote safe," she said to me. "I trust you more than your brothers because you understand me more."

She kissed my forehead and my arms and legs spazzed out, and I was smiling. I loved it when she did that. She smiled and touched my plastron. I burst out giggling and I smiled at her, waving my arms around. I couldn't help it. I was ticklish.

She kissed my brothers on their foreheads before grabbing something from the floor and slinging it over one shoulder. She leaned down over the back of the couch and pressed a button on the remote, as she called it. She pointed at something across the room and I looked that way. My eyes widened when I saw the thing light up.

She showed me some more buttons. "These buttons are for changing the channel. And this one is for seeing what's on for each channel all at once." I smiled. "Did you get that?"

I nodded. She smiled down at me and kissed my head again. Then she disappeared through a door and didn't come back out.

I felt my oldest brother pull me closer and I snuggled up against him. The nice girl had left us orange juice and graham crackers, as she had said. I had never eaten graham crackers before, but they looked good. But, I grabbed for the orange juice and began drinking it.

My second oldest brother tried to grab the remote from my hand. I stuck my tongue out at him as I tucked the remote under the blanket and I curled up around it. My brother frowned at me.

My oldest brother ran his hand over my head comfortingly. I smiled and laid my head on his shoulder. Then I felt my second oldest brother hit me across the back of the head. And it hurt!

I felt tears fill my eyes as my oldest brother glared at him. My oldest brother hugged me tightly and I let him. My head really hurt. My second oldest brother had a hard hand. I cried into my brother and he pulled the blanket up over my head to keep me warm. I appreciated that.

My second oldest brother stayed away from me until the other cup of orange juice was empty. Mine was only half empty. And my brother knew this somehow. I was also hiding graham crackers under with me.

My brother babbled a bit, trying to reach under the blanket for my cup. I tried to hide it, but he wrapped his hand around it before I could. I cried out and tried to yank it from his reach. It wouldn't work. I laid on my shell and tried to put my foot in his face and push him away, but it wouldn't work. He just bit my toes so I pulled my foot away, whimpering a bit.

The nice girl walked in just as my brother accidentally yanked the top off the cup and juice flew onto the carpet. She gasped in shock. I felt my lips quivering as I looked at my brother. Tears filled my eyes again.

"Guys, you were supposed to behave," the nice girl gasped. She looked at me and I held the remote up for her, tears spilling down my cheeks. She came over to me and picked me up, holding me in her arms. I cried into her, keeping myself closet to her.

"Don't worry about it," she assured me. "I can get the orange juice out of the carpet. Now, what I want to know is who started it."

My brothers and I all pointed at my second oldest brother. He frowned and crossed his arms over his plastron, keeping his gaze down. He was pouting.

"Listen," she said to my mean brother, setting me back down on the couch. She crouched down in front of my brother. She tilted his head so he was looking her in the eye. I couldn't understand what she said to him, as she said it quickly and quietly. I wasn't sure if he had understood, but he nodded so apparently he understood what she said.

Before I could reach for the nice girl as she stood up, my brother wrapped his arms around me and buried his face between my shoulder and my head. I froze before I slowly hugged him back.

"Good. Stay here. I'll be back," the nice girl said and we all nodded. My older brother pulled me into his lap and I curled up, laying my head on his plastron. I'm glad the nice girl said what she did. This was nice. He was warm and strong, like a big brother should be.

The girl cleaned up the mess of orange juice, and the white carpet looked spotless, which I was impressed with. Then she got us more orange juice and she sat down with us. She sat between me and my brother. I curled up against her side and my oldest brother laid with me. My mean older brother stayed a few inches away from her and my other older brother laid his head on her leg.

About halfway through whatever she turned on, I fell asleep. But, I felt completely safe because I knew that the nice woman would protect me and care for me. That's all that mattered, except for the fact that she'd do the same for my brothers. But, I knew I was going to be okay.

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**A/N:**_ Okay, if you happened to miss this, Donnie is the youngest, but he's also the smartest. He's only five days old, but he catches on fast. And the TV and the TV remote is the beginning of his interest in technology. Mikey is the second youngest. He's almost two weeks old. He's about two inches taller than Donnie now if they were to stand up. Raph is the third youngest. He is four weeks old, and he doesn't like Donnie all that much. He's more protective over Mikey, and I've always thought that when they were kids, Raph watched over Mikey and Leo watched over Donnie. And, of course, Leo is the oldest. He's almost five weeks old, one month and almost a week. So, if you were wondering, that's how old they are._


	4. Baby Steps

**Pairings: **_Alexa/Michael_

**A/N: **_Thanks of all of you who have read this story so far. I promise I will update Donnie's Adventures in Babysitting within the next twenty-four hours, for all of you who are waiting. I am committed to this promise. I'll probably add chapter four really soon after this chapter four. :)_

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**Chapter 4: **_Baby Steps_

**POV: **_Alexa's_

After the first day of leaving them home alone, I think it has been getting better. The red-eyed turtle wasn't_ too_ traumatized after that first day. All the others were fine. I've also been noticing how the turtle with the crack in his shell—I did look it up and it would be fine, that it wouldn't hurt him which was good—was being nicer to the red-eyed turtle now after that day. But, it still wasn't much of an improvement.

I had caught on that if I separated them, they'd all freak out, so I didn't do that, but the red-eyed turtle really was scared to be left alone with the other turtle, even if the turtle was being _somewhat_ nicer. So, I had to think of something. I had finally split them up into pairs so they weren't completely alone. I tried this on Tuesday, the second day I had to leave them alone.

I had put the greenest turtle with the red-eyed turtle, and the freckled turtle with the turtle with the crack in his plastron that day. I came home finding almost the same situation between the freckled turtle and the turtle with the crack in his plastron, except that the two of them were laughing. The other two were completely fine and they were fast asleep. I had put the pair that worried me on the first floor. I put the other two on the top floor up in my room. I wasn't quite sure how the two on the first floor ended up on the floor from the couch, and I had a feeling that I probably never would know, but I had been more focused on cleaning the carpet at the time.

On Wednesday, my short day, I paired the freckled turtle with the red-eyed turtle—I really need to name them—and the greenest turtle with the turtle with the crack in his plastron. When I got home at one, the living room—where I kept the greenest turtle and the turtle with the crack in his plastron—was a mess, and both of the turtles were sobbing. Okay, so maybe it wasn't getting better. My mistake. But, the two upstairs were fast asleep, the red-eyed turtle curled up next to the freckled turtle.

I found that the red-eyed turtle could get along with each one of his brothers except for the turtle with the crack in his plastron. I found that none of them could get along with him. But, there was one pair I hadn't tried. I had a feeling it would result with the red-eyed turtle in tears—and trust me, I _hated _that—but it was the only chance I had.

On Thursday, I left the red-eyed turtle with the turtle with the crack in his plastron on the first floor and the other two on the second floor. I was hoping it wouldn't be too much of a mess to clean up when I got home, and I was hoping that the red-eyed turtle wouldn't be in tears when I walked in.

When I got home, the turtle with the crack on his plastron was sitting up against the back of the couch—I have no idea how he got down from the couch where I left him—and the red-eyed turtle was asleep on the couch, a pillow over his head. There was no trace of any mess or stain on the floor, which impressed me.

I crouched down by the turtle that sat behind the couch. "Hey," I said to him and he looked up. "What are you doing down here?"

He shrugged, and I smiled, because that meant that he understood my question. He either didn't know why or he did know, but he couldn't talk to me. "Wouldn't you prefer to spend time with your brother? You seemed to do _something _with all your other brothers," I continued.

Then I thought of something that might be worth a shot asking. "Are you afraid that I'll get mad at you if you do something with him?" I whispered. He nodded shyly. I sighed and pulled him into my lap. He tried to object, but I kept a strong hold on him. After a bit of me rocking him back and forth, he calmed down some and curled up more. "I'm not going to get mad at you if you do something with him. I know I might have scared you a bit the first day, but that's because I didn't know what to expect from you guys. I'm used to it now and as long as you're nice, I don't care what you do with him," I told him. He nodded a bit. "Okay. Now, I need to go check on your other brothers."

I stood up with him in my arms and I put him on the couch, tucking him in. He curled up under the blankets and closed his eyes. I headed upstairs, hoping that my room was exactly the same way I left it. But, I was wrong.

The freckled turtle sat on the bed, looking around the room, like it was the first time he'd been in here. I was totally surprised to see the greenest turtle sitting across the room by my bathroom door. I probably would never know how he got there. Or how he got off my bed, which was about a foot and a half off the ground, about twice his height.

While I stood in the doorway, watching the little turtles, I almost passed out when the greenest turtle got to his feet, his legs shaking.

"Oh, my God," I breathed, covering my mouth with my hand. The little turtle had a death-grip on the door frame, but he was still _standing._

I ran over there and scooped him up when he fell. I sat on the floor with him again. "That was amazing," I told him excitedly. He smiled up at me, flashing his teeth. "Can you do it again?"

He nodded and slowly got to his feet again, holding onto my fingers. It was cute how his entire hand wrapped around just one of my fingers. He stood on his feet, his legs shaking, but I made sure to keep him on his feet. He smiled a bit at me and I smiled in response.

"Can you walk?" I wondered. He looked at me with an alarmed glance. "Don't be afraid. I walk all the time. I rarely ever fall anymore. And I'll be here to help you. It's not scary once you get used to it." I freed one of my fingers and I ran my fingertips over his cheek. I smiled a bit when I saw his slight blush. "I promise I won't let you fall."

He nodded, apparently taking my promise to heart. I slipped my other hand free and scooted back again. He gulped, his legs shaking. I just sure hope he trusts me. I peeked over at the other turtle, and found that he was looking this way. I gave him a smile. "You'll get there," I told him and both of them looked at me. Okay, I suppose it could be for both.

The greenest turtle stumbled forward a bit and I caught him. "It's okay. You're doing great," I said happily. He nodded slightly. I let him go again and he slowly put one foot in front of the other, and I noticed how he bit his lip a bit in concentration. "Tip of advice for you. Don't look down at your feet. Just look at me, okay?" He looked up at me and tried to focus on getting to me. I scooped him up as he was about to fall.

"That was way better than I was expecting you to get when you're this young," I told him happily and he giggled when I pet his head. "Okay, just don't move tomorrow while I'm gone. I don't want you to hurt yourself." He nodded. "Good. Now let's go downstairs. Your brothers are already comfortable for their nap. You better join them before they steal all the really comfortable places to sleep."

I picked up the other little turtle and I carried them both downstairs. They both seemed pretty tired.

As I laid the two down and got them tucked in, I felt a little hand on my thumb. I looked at whoever it was. I met wide red eyes. "Hey, little guy. I thought you were asleep," I whispered since it looked like all of them were so close to blinking out for at least two hours. "What's up?"

He held his arms out desperately and I smiled softly as I picked him up. I sat on the floor, cradling him in my lap. I ran my fingers over the top of his head, but he didn't giggle. He actually didn't look all that happy, now that I think about it. "What's wrong?" I asked him.

He buried his face in my stomach, trying to hide there. I felt him shake with a silent sob. I closed my eyes as I pulled him closer, rubbing his shell. "It's okay," I whispered. "You'll be okay. Mama's here to keep you safe."

He looked up at me with wide, teary eyes. "Do you want something to drink?" I asked him. I guess it is time to play twenty questions. He shook his head. "Something to eat?" He shook his head. "Do you want to watch TV?" He shook his head yet again. I sighed. "Do you want a nap?" He shook his head, and I could tell that he was getting frustrated with me. But, he still looked really upset? "Do you want to take a bath?" He finally nodded. "Okay. I can do that."

As I carried him and his brothers upstairs in their boxes, I thought of names for all of them. I thought of things I had learned in school. I actually love art and we're learning about the Renaissance artists in art class at the moment. I decided to go off that, since it was fresh in my mind and I didn't feel like taking hours to find names for each of them.

I decided that the greenest turtle's name would be Leonardo. It was a cool name for him and I thought it fit him. The turtle with the crack in his plastron would be named Raphael. The freckled turtle would be Michelangelo, and the red-eyed turtle would be Donatello. I loved Donatello's name the most, because he had great work. I mean, all of them did, but I especially liked his.

I tucked the three sleeping turtles into my bed and I slowly picked up Donatello. I carried him to my bathroom. I had a feeling this was the first time he's been in here, since I don't remember taking any of them in here. I guess Donatello's the lucky turtle who gets to be first to see the inside of my bathroom, unless Leonardo ventured in around in here earlier.

I sat on the floor with Donatello in my lap and I turned on the faucet, plugging the tub. I felt Donatello lean out of my arms and I looked at where he was reaching. He was reaching for the toilet. I slightly pulled his hand away. "You don't want to stick your hand in there," I told him and he nodded, pulling his hand back. See? Donatello understands me, and I think he understands me more than his brothers, although they're probably all older than him. They're all definitely bigger than Donatello.

Once the tub was filled three-quarters of the way, I slowly sat Donatello down inside. I sat on the edge of the tub, sticking my feet in. The water was nice and warm, which was a good thing for Donatello, since he was cold-blooded. He smiled up at me, splashing around in the water a bit. "Yeah, the bathtub is a lot bigger than the kitchen sink, isn't it?" I asked him, chuckling a bit. He nodded. 'Hey, can you swim?" He shrugged. "Okay, that's for another time. Now, its bath time!"

He giggled, splashing the water again, getting my capri pants soaked at the edge where I had rolled them up. "Hey, watch it or else I'll end up taking a bath with you," I laughed, watching him play around in the water. He looked up at me and splashed me some more. "Okay, I'll be right back. Stay here."

I got out and walked to the little closet in my bathroom. I pulled out the big bucket of bath toys and his eyes got wider. I went back over to him and stuck my feet back in, dumping the toys in the water. He squealed and grabbed something. I couldn't see what it was at first since it disappeared so quickly.

When I saw what he had, I smiled. It was a rubber duck with an umbrella. I don't see why ducks need umbrellas, but it was my favorite when I was little. He saw me looking and he splashed me again, getting the ends of my hair wet this time. "You know what? Who cares anymore? I'm going to end up with more water on the floor than in the tub if this keeps up," I said as I sat in the water, fully clothed. It felt weird at first, but I got used to the feeling. Donatello giggled and I smiled, grabbing a bath toy.

We played for a bit with the bath toys before I got to washing him. He still enjoyed it, especially since it included bubbles. I loved his reaction to the bubbles. It was so adorable.

When his bath was over, I have to admit, even I was sad. And this wasn't even my bath to begin with. I got out and wrapped a towel around myself, trying not to drip _too _much water on the floor. I wrapped Donatello in a towel and dried him off. Then I carried him out to my bedroom and I sat him on the bed. "I'll be right back. Don't move."

I got changed into dry clothes, a T-shirt and plain black leggings. I pulled socks on since my feet always get cold for whatever reason. I brushed my hair in the bathroom after giving Donatello a smile as I passed him.

I walked back out into my room and Donatello reached for me again. I scooped him up and tickled his plastron, which caused him to go into a fit of giggles, and I was surprised how quiet he tried to be, like he totally understood that he shouldn't wake his brothers up. Yeah, he's such an early genius.

I laid back on the bed, pulling him down with me. "I'm going to name you Donatello. Is that okay with you or is that too hard for you to think or say?" I checked, looking at him. He nodded as his eyes slipped shut and they never opened. I kissed him on the forehead and tucked him in before going downstairs to do homework, a big smile on my face. I had the cutest kids in the world, and I was proud of that. Because I knew that nothing would ever take them from me. And I absolutely loved them. I always would. Just like they would always love me…


	5. Unexpected Visitors

**Pairings: **_Alexa/Michael_

**A/N: **_Okay, so I got a review from 9aza, asking me a few questions about the story, and I'm answering them here. 9aza asked me why Alexa was still alone, although she's only thirteen and without a job. I had already planned this chapter, and a few doctors from the hospital are coming to visit her and check up on her, since they know that she's all alone and they feel bad. And anyone who knows Alexa knows that she is not leaving her house and memories behind without a fight. Also, her parents were big people(Alexa's dad was a surgeon/doctor and her mom was a lawyer)so since they had life insurance, she was given a lot of money because of their deaths. And they had a lot of money saved up so they could go on vacation, but that's not happening so she can use it. Thanks for asking me, and sorry if all of you were wondering the same thing._

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**Chapter 5: **_Unexpected Visitors_

**POV: **_Leo's(He's oldest so he has a mind like Donnie, but not quite)_

The nice woman sat down between me and my brother, Donatello. She had given us names a few days ago, and I liked using our names. They were pretty cool. My name is Leonardo. My second youngest brother's name is Michelangelo, which is kind of hard to think of because it's really long. My third youngest brother, who's the next oldest behind me, is named Raphael. I think Donatello is easiest to pronounce, if you think about it. Or maybe mine is. I don't know.

She handed out graham crackers to each of my brothers and me, and I had grown quite fond of them. They were sweet and had an interesting taste. She also gave Donatello a cup full of orange juice. He likes it the most, I think.

We sat and watched the TV—I have no idea what we were watching and _why_ but it was entertaining—for an hour before we heard a noise. I wasn't sure what it was. I looked around, hoping to find the source of it. I was the older brother. I had to protect my younger brothers and that noise scared me so it must have scared them.

As I was looking around, I saw that the nice woman had frozen up. I wish I could talk and ask her what was wrong and if she knew what the noise was.

Before I knew it, she had all of us in the box we had arrived here in and she was carrying upstairs.

"I don't want you to move from my room. Do you understand me?" she was asking us. I nodded, and Donatello did, too. I wasn't sure what Raphael and Michelangelo did, since I couldn't see them behind me. She set the box down in her room on the bed and she whirled around, leaving the room and shutting the door behind her. I looked at Donatello. He shrugged.

Now, I know she gave us direct orders to stay in here, but I really wanted to know what was going on. She obviously knew something was wrong, and I wanted to know so I could protect my brothers. And I was worried for her, too. What if something happened to her? Who would take care of us? And I would really miss her if something bad happened to her.

So, to find out what was wrong, I climbed out of the box and warily slid off the bed, like I had done a few days ago when I started walking. Donatello looked at me with wide eyes. He didn't really looked scared. He looked more like…he felt like he was being left out. I held out my arms, hoping I could help him off of the bed without dropping him. He was my youngest brother, and the one I cared for the most. I cared about my other brothers, of course, because they were my brothers, but Donatello was so little. I felt like I had to protect him the most because of that.

He slowly climbed out of the box, gripping the cup of juice in his hand. He crawled to the edge of the bed and sat up. I held out my arms some more, reaching my hands up. I placed my hands under his arms and lifted him up quickly and put him down, my arms already tired. Sure, he didn't weigh much. I just wasn't all that strong.

I walked slowly to the door while Donatello crawled along with me. I looked back to my other brothers. They were fighting over their graham crackers. Raphael hit Michelangelo in the knee and Michelangelo hit Raphael in the face. I shook my head. I'm really glad they can't talk yet, either. Or else we'd be making a lot of noise.

I reached the door and looked up at the knob. Now…how are we supposed to open the door? I looked at Donatello. He seemed rather intelligent. He might know. He looked up at me, then up at the doorknob. He frowned a bit before reaching his hand out to me. I was confused. What did he want me to do?

He sat there in frustration, waiting for me to respond. But, what exactly did he expect me to do? I wasn't sure what he wanted. I sighed and sat down next to him. He looked up at the knob again, a strange look on his face.

We're going to be here forever. Donatello obviously didn't know what to do, or else he would've done something. But, I could pick up some talking from downstairs.

"Uh, would you like something to drink or eat?" I heard the nice woman ask someone. I pressed my head to the door, listening. Donatello did the same thing.

"No thank you," someone replied. Wait, she has company? Ooh…She's never gotten guests over before! Can we meet them?

We listened to the conversation for a while before the people left. They had been talking about someone's death, and I wasn't sure what that meant. And had talked about the nice woman—whose name is Alexandra, as I found out from listening—leaving the house. She had instantly put up a fight, refusing to leave. I knew the person/people were confused about why she didn't want to leave. She had said that there were too many memories here, and I wasn't sure what that meant, either.

As soon as we heard Alexandra on the stairs leading up to her room, Donatello and I freaked out. We instantly headed back to the bed, but we were too late. She came in here before we could get back up. The only problem we had was that we couldn't get back up on our own. So, we would've been caught either way.

"Why are you two on the floor?" she sighed. I noticed Donatello point my way, and a blush stained my cheeks. Thanks a lot, Donatello. I pointed at her.

She rolled her eyes as she put us on the bed. "Are you accusing me of putting you on the floor?" she asked me. I shook my head, embarrassed. "I thought so. And Donatello, did Leonardo put you on the floor? Is that why you pointed at him?" He nodded shyly, looking away with a slight blush, too. It was cute seeing my baby brother blush bright red.

She sat down on the bed, crossing her legs underneath her. I tried to mimic the pose as much as possible, since it looked cool. I think I finally got it. She smiled and looked back at my other two brothers.

"Thanks for staying on the bed," she said to them. They looked up from their fight, their eyes obviously confused. "Okay, so I'm guessing the only reason you stayed up here is because you had no idea that they left?" Raphael nodded. "I thought so. You guys are way too curious. At least you guys stayed in the room." Donatello and I nodded. "Okay, so now that my company is gone, how about we go back downstairs and watch some more TV?"

I sighed and laid down. I was really tired. I walked more at once than I had ever done before and my legs—and arms—were extremely sore. I didn't feel like moving.

"Or how about nap time?" she wondered. I nodded, and so did Donatello, but Raphael and Michelangelo whined. "Okay, Donatello, Leonardo, I'll be up in just a bit after I put Raphael and Michelangelo in the couch to tuck you guys in. _Wait here_." We nodded. She was serious when she said that. She was not going to be happy if we got off the bed again. And I wasn't planning on seeing Alexandra's not-so-happy side any time soon. Donatello and I stayed put.

She carried Raphael and Michelangelo back downstairs in her arms after she put the box on the floor. Donatello laid back next to me, curling up against my side. I wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer. I noticed how he always seemed so warm, which is one of the reasons why I liked staying close to him. My other brothers were about the same temperature as me. But, Donatello was warm. I really liked that.

A few minutes later, Alexandra got back up to where we laid. She smiled at us, knowing we hadn't left. She slowly tucked us in, trying not to wake up Donatello, who was almost asleep. The minute his head hit the pillows, he was out. She wrapped the blanket around me tight, to keep me warm.

Before she could leave the bed, I grabbed her hand, trying to tell her that I wanted her to stay here. She looked between me and Donatello, before giving me a soft smile and crawling onto the bed.

"I bet your brothers won't cause _too_ much trouble by themselves. I mean, they fell asleep after I tucked them in on the couch," she murmured as she slipped underneath the covers between us. I curled up next to her.

The last thing I saw before I fell asleep was Donatello's soft smile as Alexandra brought him closer. It was cute. Then I was out, just like Donatello.

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**A/N:** _Okay, since I have close to nothing to do today, I'm probably going to be updating both of my stories all day. So, if you've been waiting for the next chapter to Donnie's Adventures in Babysitting, then you'll get that today, and I'll add more chapters to this story, too. And thanks to all the people who have reviewed the stories I have going now. I really appreciate it._


	6. Outcast

**Pairings: **_Alexa/Michael_

**A/N: **_This chapter is the last chapter before I skip ahead a few weeks. The next chapter will be about Winter Break and all the fun stuff they'll do. I have that planned out in my mind already, although I haven't even started on it yet. And thank you to all the people who have reviewed both of my stories that I have going now. And this chapter sort of focusing on Alexa. The turtles will appear in the chapter, but Alexa will mainly be in school during the chapter. Also, a heads up. I did put drama as one of the genres, and this chapter is full of it, except for the cute part at the end._

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**Chapter 6:**_ Outcast_

**POV: **_Alexa's_

Today was the day that I started to notice the weird looks I've got. I've been too much in my own world to realize it, but the doctors' visit a few days ago brought me out of it.

I really started to notice it when I got to school in the morning. I had spotted some people looking at me, and I couldn't really tell what those looks meant.

I immediately knew that something was wrong when I had realized that my friends weren't sitting with me at lunch. They had sat with me up until today. And my friends always sat next to me, no matter what. I looked around, and found one of my best friends, Christina. She was sitting with the rest of my friends and when she saw me looking, she stuck her tongue out at me and continued to talk with my friends.

I felt seriously wounded at that. What had I done? I hadn't ignored them, no matter how far away I had seemed. I had talked to them, paid attention to them. Why this?

And I could figure out what the looks meant. They must've known this was happening to me, and they felt bad. They were looks full of pity. And it didn't make me feel better in any way.

Forgetting my lunch at the table I sat at, I walked over to the table. I was determined to figure out what they were doing.

"Why aren't you sitting with me today?" I asked Christina. She looked up at me with a smirk. After that, she completely ignored the fact that I was still there.

"She won't ever get it, will she?" Christina asked the rest of my friends, like I wasn't even here. A few of my friends shook their heads.

"I'm still here," I spoke up.

"Don't you get the idea? If someone ignores you, you leave," Christina snapped, turning to glare at me. I took a step back and Christina got to her feet, her glare turning completely violent.

"I thought you knew. Everyone else did! Apparently you didn't get the memo. We only hung out with you out of pity. At first…we actually felt _bad _for you because you were being teased. When we heard the jokes about you afterwards, we thought we would turn it into a game, since it was fun teasing you behind your back! You were the only one who didn't realize, apparently! And now you think that you can just come to us when you're upset and looking for a shoulder to cry on? You better think again, because we don't feel any pity for you after what happened!" Christina yelled, getting everyone's attention.

I took another step back, too shocked to notice that tears filled my eyes at first.

"Oh, look," Christina sneered. "The baby's crying. I always thought she was more of a crybaby than anything else."

I bit my lip as I turned on my heel and ran from the cafeteria. I could hear everyone's laughter as I left, and it echoed in my head, along with everything she had said.

I thought she was my friend. She was always the nicest to me. I wasn't sure why she would do this to me. Why had she teased me behind my back?

Yeah, I used to get teased because I was always a bit smarter than everyone else, and I wasn't all that pretty, like all the other girls in my grade. But, I hadn't thought that she would tease me like that. And then she just yelled at me. I hadn't done anything wrong. And now I know that she apparently thought it was a joke that my parents had died and I missed them terribly.

Sure, I had told her. Because I tell her everything because she was my best friend. The only thing I hadn't told her was about the turtles. I'm definitely not telling her now. But, it wasn't fair that she thought it was funny to see me cry about her betraying me and that I was crying.

I hid in the library the rest of the lunch hour, and throughout the rest of the day, I ignored everyone who looked at me. I couldn't take the looks anymore. I couldn't take talking to anyone anymore.

I was so grateful for the end of the day, and I knew my last hour teacher was rather confused because of that. But, I didn't stick around long enough for my teacher to ask me what was wrong. Normally, if I'm happy to go home, something is wrong, because I love school. I'd rather stay at school for the rest of my life. Now, I never wanted to return. I wanted to stay with the turtles at home for the rest of my life and never have to see those looks, or hear everyone's laughter as I ran out of the lunch room with tears in my eyes….

I arrived home, and by then, I was in tears again because I had thought too much about everything bad that's happened to me in my life. The teasing, my family's death, the laughter, losing the rest of my family forever…

I slammed the door shut behind me and ran upstairs. I didn't care if I woke the turtles. I was too upset to care. I just wanted to lay on my bed and never have to face the world. I never wanted to have to go back to school.

I collapsed on my bed and sobbed into my pillow. I think I cried for about an hour before I realized that someone was touching my hand that hung off the edge of the bed. I lifted my head weakly and met all the turtles' eyes. Donatello was the one who was touching my hand. He was trying his best to hold it, but his hands were too small.

I wiped my red and puffy eyes with the back of my other hand as I sat up, looking at all of them. How had they all gotten up here? But, I suppose they had more than enough time to crawl up the stairs. I sniffled once before reaching down and picking up each of them one at a time and putting them on the bed. Donatello instantly crawled into my lap, holding me tightly.

I wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his shell, just wanting some comfort. I had too much to deal with at school, and when I had a tough time before my family died, my mom would hold me while I cried and calmed me down. I really missed that.

The other turtles crowded around me, as well, running their hands over my arm and my back. I let out a sigh as I eventually wrapped my arms around all of them, bringing them all closer.

"Thanks for being here for me, guys," I whispered before kissing all of their foreheads and bringing them all closer. "I really appreciate the comfort." And they were comforting. They were comforting like you wouldn't believe. And I would always love their comforting when I got upset.


	7. Winter Break

**Pairings: **_Alexa/Michael_

**A/N: **_Okay, so I'm not going to update either story all that much, now that school will start to be a problem. I will probably update on weekends or on days I don't have school. Anyway, this is the chapter where it's Winter Break. This is also the last chapter that does not include Michael, if you were wondering when he comes in._

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**Chapter 7:**_ Winter Break_

**POV: **_Raph's_

I blinked my eyes a bit as I heard the woman who had watched over us squeal rather loudly. I looked around the room and saw that she was looking out the window. I really wish I could ask her what she was doing, because it feels pretty early. I don't like being woken up early.

My baby brother, Donatello, also sat up with me, probably wondering the same thing. What was she doing? She's really starting to annoy me.

When she saw us looking at her weirdly, she skipped over to the box that we all slept in. To be honest, the box was getting too small for all of us. I just couldn't complain because I couldn't talk.

She crouched down by us. "It's snowing!" she sang, a wide smile on her face. Donatello's face brightened.

I raised my eyebrows. What the heck is snow? She saw my confused expression and she lifted me up in her arms, despite how much I tried to break free. She carried me over to the window and let me look out. I saw the little white spots falling from the sky. My eyes widened as I pressed my face and hands to the glass. Cool! I pointed out the window, looking back at her. She smiled.

"Of course we get to go play in it! That's my favorite part of Winter Break!" she said with delight. I smiled in response. We get to go play in it! How cool is that?!

She set me down by the box and woke up Leonardo and Michelangelo. They weren't too happy with the intrusion in their sleep, but when she showed them the snow, they were both really excited, just like I was.

"Hey, Donatello, don't you want to see?" she asked the brother in question. He had seemed excited just at the mention of snow that she hadn't had to show him the snow to make him excited. He nodded a little eagerly. Hey, maybe everything she mentioned was fun to Donatello.

She picked him up with a wide smile when he didn't put up a fight. She carried him to the window and he glanced outside for a while, watching the snow fall. Then she brought him back to the box.

"Okay, I need to go get you jackets. I'm sure I still have a few. I mean, snow can get really cold and since you four are cold-blooded, snow and you guys might not mix unless you have jackets on," she told us and disappeared. We all watched her leave.

She came back and pulled Donatello out of the box first. We watched her pull something onto Donatello and he giggled a bit. She zipped it up and wrapped something around his neck. "Are you warm, Donatello?" she asked him. He nodded eagerly as she put something on his head and put things on his hands. I watched, confused.

She did the same thing to each of us and I had to admit, I did feel warm in everything she put me in. Then she led all of us outside, carrying Donatello and Michelangelo outside, since me and Leonardo could walk by ourselves. I couldn't wait to go outside and play in the snow. It looked like a lot of fun.

The minute we were outside, I jumped into a pile of snow. I popped my head out, laughing. She smiled as she set Donatello and Michelangelo down on the ground and she crouched down. Then she began gathering snow in her hands.

I watched her closely and suddenly a ball of snow came whizzing at me from the other direction. I barely caught a glimpse of Leonardo before he ducked behind a pile of snow. I got the same idea and began gathering snow in my hands, too, glad they were covered because the snow was cold on my feet and legs. I threw it at Leonardo just as he had started running for another snow pile with a ball of snow in his hands. I got him right in the shell. He whined and then we were both attacked with a snow ball.

We both looked over at the three. The woman pointed at Donatello, who looked up at her, shocked. Leonardo and I looked at each other before coming to an agreement. We both threw a snowball at her, despite how much she tried to accuse our baby brother. But, those snowballs flying at us were wicked fast. There was no way he had thrown them at us. And at the same time, too. I had caught on fast that she is good at doing more than one thing at once.

Michelangelo started to eat the snow after a while and Donatello just sat there and watched it snow. I noticed how Michelangelo was crawling around, avoiding the snowballs fly between me, Leonardo, and the woman.

After about an hour, me and Leonardo got tired. She looked over us as we all went back up the stairs.

I knew what she was doing when she led us into the bathroom. Bath time! My brothers and I love bath time because it's just so much fun.

She set each of us in the hot water after she took off our things. But, she held Donatello up, looking him over.

"Hey, Donatello, your toes look blue," she told him. He looked down at where he was wiggling his toes. They sort of did. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, spazzing his arms and legs around. He must be getting squirmy.

"Are you sure? You're not cold or anything?" she questioned.

He nodded. She sighed and put him in the water. "I'll be watching you, Donatello. Because normally when humans' skin turn blue, it means they're _really _cold. I'm not sure if it's the same way for turtles, but I'm not taking chances," she sighed.

After bath time, she put us all down for our naps. I sure hope she'll let us go back outside again. That was so much fun.

A few days later, she came back into the house after being gone for an hour or so. She had a big grin on her face as she ran upstairs, hiding whatever she had behind her back. Oh, well. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough. I've noticed how she doesn't keep secrets from us for long.

The next day, she woke us up really early. I was not pleased with this. I glared at her as I gained consciousness. "Today's Christmas, the second-best thing of Winter Break compared to snow!" she told us when we were all awake. What's Christmas?

She took us all downstairs and sat us down on the couch. Then she handed us each a box. We all looked up at her in confusion. Is this what she had hidden the day before?

"Well, open them," she said and sat down on the table in front of the couch. Michelangelo instantly began tearing at the box, trying to open it. I noticed how each box was a different color. Michelangelo's box was orange, mine was red, Donatello's was purple, and Leo's was blue. How odd.

Michelangelo pulled something out of his box. It looked funny. He looked up at her. "Okay, Michelangelo. So you seem to be more of the creative person, so I thought you'd like something to build with," she explained. He nodded and looked down at his new toy.

I opened mine next and pulled out a really cool looking car. I grinned up at her. "I had a feeling you'd like it," she chuckled.

Leonardo went next and pulled out a book. She had read books to us before. Most boring things in the world. He smiled. "I'll make sure to read it to you soon, Leonardo," she said.

Last but not least, Donatello's turn. He pulled out a blanket. It was white, no pattern, nothing. But it looked soft. "Okay, so I'm not quite sure what your guys' favorite colors are, but I do know that you guys love these really fuzzy blankets, you especially, Donatello. That's why there isn't any color on it. I was afraid of getting you the wrong color and you end up not wanting to use it," she murmured, brushing her fingers over Donatello's head, getting Donatello to nudge his head against her hand with a soft smile. "I thought you might all like your presents."

We all jumped up and gave her a big hug. They were awesome presents. She couldn't have gotten us better presents. She smiled at us and hugged us back. "Thanks for liking them," she murmured as she pulled back. Then she smiled again. "Merry Christmas, you guys!" We all smiled in response. Christmas would probably always be my favorite holiday. Free presents!

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**A/N: **_Sorry the last two chapters have been short. I thought they should be part of the story, but I didn't feel like writing them. Also, I'm not very good at writing really sad things or from Raph's point of view. But, I promise the next one will be longer. The next chapter will include Michael, and it should be much longer than this one and the chapter before._


	8. Emotional Problems

**Pairings: **_Alexa/Michael_

**A/N: **_This is going to be the first chapter with Michael in it. I would like to thank all of those who have taken the time to read and review my stories. You guys are what influence me to continue. Anyway, on with the story. This chapter will be longer than the rest of them because I promised a longer chapter._

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**Chapter 8: **_Emotional Problems_

**POV: **_Michael's_

I walked through the hallway to my locker. I had ten minutes to get to class, which was just fine with me. The day was sure to be boring.

I hadn't liked school ever since my parents had died a little over three weeks ago. School actually used to be _fun _for me up until that night. I didn't really talk to people at school, anymore. I wasn't sure I _could _talk to anyone without crying my eyes out. It was really painful.

As I was walking, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of deep red and snow-white. With that, my curiosity peaked. I was sure the person I had seen had dark red hair. It was pretty cool, and a really beautiful color.

I couldn't find the mysterious person in the hallway, so I gave up and went to class early. I'd find that person one way or another.

It wasn't until after fourth period, right before lunch, that I saw who I was looking for. And I have to say just one thing. She did not look happy _at all. _She looked rather…depressed to be in school. I wasn't sure why, but I instantly felt that I had to go talk to her and find out what was wrong. I felt awful that she didn't seem happy. I had been this way ever since my parents died, but the want—no, the _need_—to help was stronger than ever.

I walked over to her and leaned against the lockers surrounding hers. She was on her knees, sitting down on the ground, digging through her neat locker. I had a feeling why she wouldn't just bend down to get everything. I knew from experience with girls at this school—I didn't like the girls but they hung out around me anyway—that girls _never_ bend down in dresses unless they want attention. And I had a feeling that attention was the last thing she wanted right now.

She was a really pretty girl. She had long dark red hair that hung down her back and over her shoulders. I couldn't tell about the eye color because she hadn't looked up at me yet. She had a white dress that had thin straps. She wore a little black shrug over it, so she could get away with wearing the dress, which had a sweetheart neckline. I bet she was wearing leggings underneath it, but I wasn't about to look. She wore black flats with little bows on the toes.

She suddenly looked up at me. "Hello," she muttered, looking away. But, that one flash of her eyes told me that she had pure blue eyes. They were beautiful.

"You know, I was wondering why you seem upset," I said to her.

"Why should you care?" she demanded, abruptly looking up at me with those blue eyes again.

"Because I wanted to know why you were upset. I get it, though. I know when I'm not wanted," I sighed and started to walk off. I was biting my lip as I waited. My best friend, Matthew, plays this guilt trip on me all the time. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I wasn't sure if it would work on her or not.

Behind me, I heard her locker close. "Wait!" she called after me. I smiled widely—I guess that answers that question—before dropping the smug look and walking back to where she had gotten to her feet. Hmm. She wasn't wearing leggings. Interesting.

"Why were you wondering why I was upset?" she asked me, hugging a book to her chest. Not that I'm looking there on purpose. I'm not that kind of guy.

"Because it kills me to see people who are depressed," I sighed, remembering the question. No pun intended for my statement.

"I guess I'm not hiding it all that well, then," she muttered, chuckling to herself. I bit my lip again. She has a beautiful laugh.

"It's not easy to hide depression," I told her, leaning against the lockers again.

"Then how are you doing it?" she demanded. Whoa, what?! How does she know I'm depressed? Does she live in my neighborhood? Did she hear from someone? But there's just no way she was able to guess that. _I _was hiding it well.

"What?" I choked out, the shock obvious in my voice.

"Oh, come on. Who else would talk to me? Anyone happy avoids me like the plague," she gasped.

Hmmm. Interesting. Now, let's see if I can get her to tell me why that is. "Okay. Tell me why you're upset and I'll answer your question," I said.

She looked up at me—I'm a head taller than her—and I noticed how she was biting her lip. I politely looked away, so she wouldn't feel pressured to answer. I didn't want to force her to do anything.

"My parents and my older brother…they were in a car crash on Halloween and they're…dead," she breathed. "And after I got back into school, my friends betrayed me and laughed in my face because of it."

My eyes widened as I saw her eyes glisten as she looked at me, the tears spilling down her cheeks at the painful memories. Oh, God. How mean could people get?! Why would they do that to her?! Her parents die and all her friends abandon her? Some friends!

I wasn't sure what I was doing, but I slowly wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer, hugging her to me. She froze for a second before ducking her face into my chest and hugging me back. I felt tears fill my own eyes.

"I'm so sorry," I breathed. She nodded. That was truly awful for someone to have to go through. She was probably all alone because her friends abandoned her. Well, it made sense why she was upset, although her family died in October and it's January now. She didn't have anybody to help her out with dealing with this, like me. Well, not anymore. I would help her.

We both pulled away from the hug awkwardly, both of us with a deep blush on our cheeks. "Hey, what's your name?" I asked her softly, brushing her long hair from her cheeks. She looked up at me with blurry eyes.

"My name's Alexa," she whispered. "What's yours?"

"Michael," I said simply and she nodded before walking away from me down the hall. I watched her leave with gentle eyes.

Alexa was a beautiful name. And it completely fit her. She was a beautiful girl and I'm sure she was extremely nice to people. So, as I walked down the hall in the opposite direction she had walked, I knew that I had to help her. I would not stop until she felt better. She deserved much more than this. She would come to love life again, not dread it.

The next day, I didn't want to get up because I had stayed up all night thinking about Alexa, but I had to go see her. I had to say good morning and cheer her up in whatever way I can before I have to say goodbye. So, I quickly got up and showered so I could leave earlier than normal.

At school, I watched her walk onto school grounds and I immediately ran over to her. I called her name from a few feet away and she looked up, smiling already. Yes.

"Are you like stalking me or something?" she laughed, her eyes glowing. It made me completely lose track of what I wanted to say.

"Uh, no. I guess it's just coincidence that we meet each other this way," I said after a moment.

"Sure. It was just a coincidence that you were watching me. I know you were. Before you saw me, I saw you and I know you were looking around," she told me as we walked side by side to the school.

"Okay, you caught me. But I'm not a stalker. I just really wanted to say good morning to you," I explained.

"Okay. Good morning," she said, smiling up at me.

"Good morning," I responded. "Do…do you want to…sit with me at lunch? So we can talk some more?"

I could see her blush a bit. "Yeah, I'd like that," she said just as the bell rang. I felt my face light up.

"Okay. I'll meet you at your locker," I said and went to my locker as people spilled into the school.

"Only a stalker would know exactly where my locker is," she called after me. I smirked and stopped at my locker, almost exactly across the hall from hers.

"If you're standing there, I think I can find you. And your locker is quite easy," I said smugly as I opened my locker and grabbed my things, looking back at her every few seconds. Man, she's so beautiful.

The first three periods dragged so slow, and that was simply to annoy me because I was actually looking forward to something so time hated me and went slower. Just great. I just wanted to see her again. She doesn't seem to stop at her locker after first and second period. So, I had to wait until third period ended to see her. And even that was a while away.

Eventually, I did get out of there and I was so happy. Now it's time to find Alexa. She said she would stay at her locker until I found her, so we could walk down together. So, as soon as I was done with my locker, I turned around. I didn't see her anywhere.

I looked around the hallway, not seeing her anywhere. What? She said she would be here. Why isn't she?

After about a minute of searching, she finally came down the hallway, but I was so afraid to go talk to her. Because she looked like she seriously wanted to punch someone in the face. And I was scared that person would end up being me.

But, I walked over to her, and as I got closer, I could hear her cry. That really got my attention and I ran the rest of the way over to her and hugged her again. Almost naturally, she hugged me back, crying into me.

"What happened?" I asked her softly, rubbing her back.

She didn't answer me and I sighed. "Please, Alexa. Tell me what's wrong," I pleaded.

"One of my old friends, well, she…she was really mean to me during third period," she sniffled.

"Tell me her name," I said comfortingly. But inside, I knew that as soon as she said the name, I was off to go murder someone. Why would anyone be mean to Alexa? What did she ever do?

"Her name is Christina," she muttered and I froze. Oh, dear. Okay, what to do? Christina was always the girl who was hitting on me. Why did Christina have to be so mean to everyone?

"It's okay. I-I'll go talk to her," I whispered, raising my head. She looked up at me with tears in her eyes.

"Really?" she asked softly. I nodded.

"She might listen to me. Because, if you haven't noticed, I tend to get my way," I said and gestured to myself, causing her to smile widely.

At lunch, we sat together at lunch, just talking to ourselves. By the end of lunch, we had agreed that we would go to one of our houses to do homework, since we already had a lot of it and the day wasn't even done yet. But, when I had suggested going to her house, she had gotten really tense.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

"Y-you can't come over to my house," she gasped, which really confused me. I mean, I hadn't cleaned my house in a while. It was a wreck. No one could come over to my house. I'm sure hers wasn't as bad as mine.

"Why not?" I wondered.

She looked up at me. "I have a secret that no one can know about. And the way to find out my secret is going over to my house," she whispered.

"Come on. I'm your friend. And I promise not to tell anyone. I swear," I told her, brushing her hair back from her cheeks.

"I won't be betrayed again. And this time the secret really matters to me," she breathed, looking down at the table.

"Alexa, look at me," I said. She looked up with a tortured expression. "I promise I won't tell anyone. I'm not that way. I don't betray secrets."

In the end, she did give in and let me go home with her. But, it took the rest of the day to convince her. She could be extremely stubborn when she wanted to, but I've always been told that I'm extremely persistent. And I guess that is true.

On the way to her house, she completely forgot about where we were going. She was completely animated and excited. She was chatting happily and I gladly let her. It was a ton better than her being upset. And I talked with her, enjoying her sound so _happy._ It was a nice change.

She was happy up until we reached the front door. Then she went stiff. I turned to her. "Just…wait out here for a second. I'll be back out to come get you," she said slowly, unlocking the door.

"Do you promise?" I asked as the lock clicked and she twisted the knob. She looked at me with nervous eyes.

"I promise," she breathed before disappearing into the house and shutting the door. I could hear her talking to someone and it interested me. She told me that her entire family was gone. She must be staying with a friend. No, that's not right because she told me her friends betrayed her. Hmm.

She came back out and looked up at me with a gentle smile. It honestly confused me at first. "You can come in," she said softly and I nodded when she held the door open for me. I smiled back at her as I walked in, looking around. Nothing out of the ordinary. I looked back at her when she shut the door. She was smiling.

"Don't worry. I'll show you if that's what you're worried about," she chuckled, flexing her fingers quickly. "Come on. We should do homework before it gets too late."

I nodded and we sat down on the couch, pulling out everything we needed to do, which was a lot. I'm so glad that even though school is such a drag, I pay _a lot _of attention. I was pretty quick when it came to stuff like homework and classwork. It was like everything I needed to know at the time was embedded in my mind for when I needed the information. And I noticed that as we did homework, she was pretty intelligent herself. The stuff came naturally to her, too, and she was faster than me. I'm sure she finished all of her homework when I was only halfway done with mine, and I was working fast.

I could feel her looking over my shoulder. "That question's wrong," she breathed in my ear and I felt a tingle run down my spine. I looked at her and was shocked at how close she was. She pulled back with a slight blush. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay," I assured her. "What question did I miss?"

I felt extremely nervous when she scooted over closer to me. She smiled at me and pointed at the question I got wrong. I smiled back at her. Yeah, she was better off in school than I was. My problem that when I go fast is that I miss crap I should've been able to get. Like the question I missed.

She looked over at the stairs, just looking around and she froze up. I looked at her for a second before she jumped up and ran over. "Raph, what did I tell you?" I heard her ask. I looked over at her, confused. "I told you I'd come up and get you and your brothers when I was ready."

When I saw her pick up whoever she was talking to, I knew why she didn't want anyone to know the secret she was keeping. Because, the little face that peeked over her shoulder was not normal. It was green.

"Uh, Alexa, I think I figured out what your secret is," I called to her and she turned around warily, and it confirmed my suspicions. Yeah, it's a turtle. She walked back down the stairs and sat down on the other end of the couch from me. She kept the turtle close. And she looked very nervous.

"Please don't tell anyone," she sighed. "I-I don't want people to know."

"I promised you I wouldn't say anything to anyone. And I intend to keep that promise. All I want to know is _how _and _why _you got them," I said slowly, meeting the turtle's piercing green eyes. They were wide with some emotion I couldn't read. I wasn't sure if it was fear or not. I can imagine he was scared to have another human in the house aside from Alexa.

She looked down at her hands as the turtle crawled out of her lap and crawled over to me, which was adorable. I reached my hand out and he rubbed his head against my hand, almost like a cat.

"I got them the night my parents died. They arrived at my door that night about an hour after I got the phone call from the hospital saying my family died in a car crash. I don't know what I would have done if one of them hadn't cried, but I instantly felt bad for the turtles. Because they were just so helpless and scared. I couldn't just leave them out there. So, I brought them inside and read the note that was attached to the box that they were in. And I found out that their parents were leaving them at my house before they were being followed by someone. And losing my parents was hard enough that night. I wasn't about to leave them without parents, too," she whispered, explaining softly. "I've kept them ever since. I just can't let them go. T-they honestly mean a lot to me. And that's why I don't want you to tell anyone. I can't lose them, too."

I saw the tears fill her eyes, and before I could reach over to her and wipe her eyes, the little turtle got out of my lap—he had crawled into my lap while she was telling the story—and walked back to her, wrapping his arms around her, sort of collapsing. And I had to admit, it was so cute. She sighed and ran her hand over his head and he nuzzled his head into her stomach.

"Another reason I didn't want anyone to tell anyone is because do you know how fast that would spread? That I was stuck with taking care of four kids? And I don't even know whose kids they are?" she asked me, looking at me. "That would be horrible. I'd never be able to face anyone at school again if this slipped out."

I slid closer to her and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close. The turtle gave a little grunt of disapproval, but let it go as she hugged me back. "I swear I won't tell anyone. You had very good reason for not wanting anyone to know about this. I'd feel the same way if I were you. But….thank you for trusting me enough to let me know about this," I told her.

She sighed. "Aren't you freaked out by this at all?" she asked me.

"No, not really. I mean, normal people would be, but this guy is freaking adorable," I chuckled, smiling at her. She smiled back.

"His name is Raphael, but I call him Raph. It's easier to say," she told me, petting Raphael lovingly.

"You said "they." Where are the others?" I wondered.

"They're upstairs. I told them to stay up there until I was ready to tell you," she sighed, glancing down at Raphael. "At least three of the four listened to me." Raphael shook his head at her, pointing at the stairs. She looked back at the stairs and I looked with her.

I saw her eyes widen when she saw the second turtle on the stairs, just sitting there with a confused and frustrated look on his face. She set Raph down and went to go get the turtle.

"Donnie, how did you get down the stairs? Or at least half of them?" she asked the turtle, whose face brightened as soon as he saw her. I smiled. "Did you walk?" He shook his head. "Okay. Where are your brothers?" I saw the little turtle—Donnie as she had called him—point to the top of the stairs. She took a deep breath and sighed. "Wow, okay, so no one listened to me. It doesn't surprise me as much as it should, really."

"Why doesn't it?" I asked her.

"They have a tendency to let their curiosity take over at times. Donnie here is guilty of that the most, but the others do it, too," she explained, looking back at me, scooping up Donnie. Then she went to go retrieve the two others who were apparently at the top of the stairs. She came back with the rest of the turtles and she set them all down on the couch.

"Okay, first question. How did you all get out of my bedroom? You guys are not tall enough to reach the door knob," she said curiously. Three of the four turtles all pointed at one turtle, who tried to point at Raph. She rolled her eyes. "Leo, you can't always get away with blaming your brothers, although I'm a little surprised it's you trying to blame someone, instead of Raph or Mikey. But never mind that. Anyway, if you three did not know, this is Michael." She looked at me at the same time the turtles turned to look at me. I swear, Donnie's big red eyes were so cute! He seemed to be the smallest of the turtles.

"So, how old do you think they are?" I asked her.

"Donnie's definitely the youngest. He's maybe two and a half months old. Mikey is most likely the second youngest. He's two months and three weeks. Raph is next oldest, at three months, and Leo is the oldest and he's three months and a week," she explained as one of the turtles crawled into my lap. I looked down and found that it was Donnie. I smiled down at him and he smiled back. "Oh, and when you deal with Donnie, he's extremely ticklish. And he loves it when you kiss his snout. The others aren't like Donnie. I find that Mikey is ticklish on the bottoms of his feet, and so is Donnie. Mikey loves it when you play with his feet because he absolutely loves playing with them himself. Leo and Raph aren't ticklish that I know about, but I know Leo loves it when you pet his head. It almost always calms him down. And Raph just likes any physical contact. But, Donnie is the absolutely most ticklish and I find it adorable."

I gently touched his plastron and he started giggling like crazy. I started laughing as well, urging him to continue laughing. I saw Alexa smile. "Yeah, the places where Donnie is ticklish are his plastron, his face, the bottom of his feet, and his shell," she told me. "He just doesn't do it when you pick him up, although you have to touch his plastron and/or shell. It depends on how you pick him up and hold him, though."

I nodded as I felt the other three turtles try to crowd onto my lap, upon seeing that it was okay. I mean, Raph already likes me. He just apparently wants more attention than he's getting. And I had to admit, all of them were just too cute to bear. I smiled at all of them and I was met with five answering smiles, one of them being from Alexa.

"They really like you, Michael," she said, smiling.

"They're so cute," I told her.

"I know. They're adorable," she agreed. "Hey, do you want to stay for a little while longer? Order a pizza and watch movie or something?"

"I'd like that," I said softly. Apparently, the turtles knew I was staying, because they all started babbling excitedly. Or maybe it was a sign for something. But I knew one thing for sure. I'd have a lot of time to figure it out, because I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.


	9. Leo's First Words

**Pairings: **_Alexa/Michael_

**A/N: **_Sorry for not updating recently. I've had a lot of stuff going on in school, although it's only been three or four weeks. I'll try to update when I get the chance. But, don't worry. This chapter will be extra cute, I promise. Leo talks for the first time! And this chapter takes place two weeks after the last chapter. Also, sorry for the confusion at the beginning. Everything is explained after Leo's first words. :) _

* * *

**Chapter 9: **_Leo's First Words_

**POV: **_Alexa's_

I sighed as I sat back on the couch gingerly, closing my eyes. I didn't even notice it when one of the turtles climbed up next to me at first. But, when I felt whoever it was tug on the sleeve of my shirt, I opened my eyes and peeked over at who it was. It was Leo and Donnie.

"Hey, guys," I muttered. They looked at me curiously. Yeah, I'm normally not in a sour mood around them. I try to hide it the best I can. But, now I was just way too tired and upset to even attempt to hide it.

Donnie stood up and touched the swollen skin around my eye and I sighed. "I don't want to talk about it right now," I told them, wincing a bit. "Where are your brothers?"

They looked at each other before shrugging at me. I laid my head back on the couch, clenching my fists at my sides. Before I knew it, I was crying again. I immediately noticed it when both Leo and Donnie started wiping the tears from my cheeks. "Thanks, guys, but it's not making me feel any better," I sighed. I saw the look they gave each other before turning back to me with big eyes.

The minute I noticed that both of their eyes were shining, I instinctively pulled them closer, no matter how much it hurt to do so. "Don't worry about me, guys. I can handle it. I'm a lot stronger than you guys think. Just don't cry about it," I assured them. "Just…getting the life beaten out of you for the first time hurts. A lot."

They looked at each other again, not sure what to do. I set them both back on the couch and got up. I knew they were following me as I walked out to the kitchen.

Ever since Donnie started walking yesterday, he's been following me around everywhere I go. Leo follows me, anyway, but secretly, I think he's just been following me around recently to keep an eye on Donnie because of how much Donnie fell down yesterday.

I looked back at them and found that Leo was holding Donnie's hand, keeping him steady. "You're a good brother, Leo," I commented as I made a bag of ice to put on my serious black eye. And possibly my ribs, too.

As I was gathering ice to put in a bag, I heard an unsteady voice come from behind me, but I knew exactly who spoke. "What happen?"

The ice slipped from my already-numb hands into the sink before I whirled around and looked at the two brothers. Both looked at me, confused. "L-Leo, did you just…talk?" I asked, the breath quickly leaving my body.

He thought about it for a minute before he nodded. "Do it again," I breathed.

He looked down at his feet, then down at his hand around Donnie's. Their skin color was different by far, but I don't think Leo ever noticed it before.

"What happen?" Leo asked, and I didn't even feel the need to correct his grammar because Leo wouldn't know, anyway. I sunk down to the floor against the cabinets under the sink and Leo and Donnie walked over to me, sitting down next to me.

I sighed, knowing that I'd end up telling them sooner or later. And knowing how persistent Leo is, he was not going to give this up until I spilled. So I pulled them closer, barely wincing when they made contact with my sides.

"Okay, first of all, this is exactly why you have to stay away from people. You'll never know what they'll do to you. People you keep close might even do this to you," I mumbled, looking at the ceiling.

"M-Michael?" Leo stuttered a bit.

"No. Michael didn't do this. And I doubt he ever will," I told him, looking down into his big blue eyes and then I looked at Donnie. His eyes were wide, and I have absolutely no idea why. "What's up, Donnie?"

He grabbed my hand from where it rested on his shoulder and he held it up for me to see. I nodded, already knowing about the blood on my knuckles. "Don't worry about it, Donnie. It's not going to bleed much. I'll be fine," I assured him. He pouted a bit, not really trusting my words. Smart. I downplay my injuries too much. I don't blame him.

"Anyway, what I was saying is, don't…just stay away from humans as much as you possibly can. Humans can either be nice and friendly like Michael and me, or they can be back-stabbers and very mean, like the group of girls that did this to me. You never know. Okay, so I was walking out of the school when this group of really mean girls walked up behind me and got my attention. They said they wanted to talk to me, to apologize for being so mean to me in the past, because they laughed at me after my parents died. But, I was so wrong. They brought me around to the back of the school...and they beat me up. It hurt so much I couldn't even move at first. And Michael got sick earlier this morning, so he doesn't know about this. He couldn't come help me even if he wanted to. So, I walked home by myself, not really paying any attention to my surroundings. T-that's why it took me so long to get home. I got seriously lost, and that wasn't really a good thing for me at the time. But, I eventually did, and I already didn't care about anything that had happened. It doesn't matter anymore, anyway," I explained.

I looked at them when they both left my grasp after giving each other another look. Leo crouched down on the ground and folded his hands together, lowering them. Donnie grabbed Leo's shoulders for support and stepped into Leo's hands. Damn. "Guys, is this how you guys get out of my room all the time? Because separately, you guys are not even close to being able to reach the door knob," I said, looking at them. I wonder how long it took to get good at this.

Donnie crawled onto the counter, pulling himself up with a little help from Leo. I watched Donnie as he grabbed the ice from the sink and held it out to me. My eyes widened. "You guys…" I trailed off, tears filling my eyes. I got to my feet and took the ice from Donnie's hands. "You're so sweet." I grabbed a bag and put the ice inside. I noticed how their gazes watched my every move as I wrapped the bag in a hand towel and held it to my eye. I sat down on the ground after Donnie dropped down from the counter and they both made their way over to me.

Okay, this has to be the sweetest thing they've ever done for me. I never expected this from them. I know they're sweet, but I never saw this one coming.

I felt Donnie lay his head down on my arm slowly and Leo held my other hand. Donnie played with my fingers, and at the time, I hadn't noticed that he was trying to wipe the dried blood from my knuckles. I slipped my hand from Donnie and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. I did the same to Leo. They both instinctively curled up closer to me and I smiled through the pain, because in all honesty, they made everything better.

* * *

**A/N: **_Sorry for the short chapter, but at least it's something. I wrote this at 11 at night and I'm tired. I had a long weekend of staying up late with my friend, watching scary movies, and cleaning the house with my mom. So, sorry for the short chapter, but I'll probably add one more on this story and possibly one more for Donnie's Adventures in Babysitting. And Donnie and Leo are brilliant! They make a great pair!_


	10. First Sleepover

**Pairings: **_Alexa/Michael_

**A/N: **_Again, sorry for not updating. I promise I'll try to keep doing that, no matter how late I have to stay up working on it. And this chapter is happier, I promise. Raph and Mikey start talking. And this is Donnie's point of view, since he has an interesting mind._

* * *

**Chapter 10: **_First Sleepover_

**POV: **_Donnie's_

I sat down on the bed, waiting patiently. I was the only one up, aside from Alexa. I always wake up early for whatever reason. They usually outlast me with sleeping by an hour at the earliest. Alexa always beats me by a minute or two. We sort of work on the same wavelength.

Alexa came back out and sat on the bed with me. "Michael is coming back over again today," she told me and I smiled up at her. I like Michael. He's pretty nice to us and what's more important is that he's so caring towards Alexa. He does anything he can to make sure she-all of us in general-is happy.

"And since today's Friday, he'll be staying the night for a sleepover. We planned everything out yesterday. But, it's up to you guys on where you sleep. You can either sleep on the floor and we set everything up so you're all comfortable, then Michael and I get the bed…" she trailed off, a bright blush staining her cheeks. "Or you can sleep on the floor and we'll join you, or you guys get the bed and we sleep on the floor."

I thought about it for a minute. What would be the best situation? I mean, I want Alexa close because I really enjoy that. Wait, can't we all fit onto her bed? We've never had a problem with that because we tend to sleep at the end of the bed by her feet anyway. I looked up at her, slightly frustrated that I couldn't talk. It's a good thing that she taught me to play charades, along with Raph and Mikey. I'm actually quite good at it, although I'd prefer to talk.

She eventually got what I was talking about after a while. "You know, I think that would work. It just depends on where you sleep in the bed. Because my bed is only supposed to fit two people and we've gotten around with it fitting five people. I mean, if you sleep at our feet, we'll be okay. I suppose one of you will be able to fit up with at the pillows, but your brothers will argue," she sighed, pulling me into her lap. I snuggled up closer, enjoying the warmth. She was always so much warmer than my brothers and I liked that.

After a few minutes, Leo got up. He was always the one who wakes up the next earliest. I believe it's Mikey who takes forever to wake up.

She fed us a quick breakfast before heading out. Leo looked at me when we were settled in on the couch. "Donnie, come sit with me," Leo offered and I nodded. He was the only one of my brothers who could talk yet. Leo held his arms out and I curled up in his lap. I let out a breath as I laid my head against his plastron.

We were all the best brothers. We almost always got along with each other, and we're very close. I suppose it was necessary since we spend time with each other a ton with no one else around. We had to keep each other safe. And I suppose it was also because Alexa put us together. She makes the place she keeps us so comfortable that we don't even want to _consider_ leaving, so we stick together. That's a funny thought. It's like she glues us to the couch so we can't leave.

I was probably the closest to Leo, and that was okay. Leo was really nice to me, and we make a great team. Even before I could walk, we worked together to be able to open the door to Alexa's room. And, like three days ago, when we helped Alexa a bit. It works, too, because Leo and I were often in close range. It was kind of hard for me when Alexa split us up those first few days, but she kept us close afterwards. I think she has sensed the bond between us.

Of course, I love my other brothers dearly. Raph and I are close, but not as close as Leo and me. Raph and I are close because, after those first few days, whenever Raph hurt me in some way, he always feels the need to keep me close for a while to show that he's sorry. I have no idea why this is. He doesn't do that to Leo or Mikey. It's just me.

Mikey and I spend a lot of time together at night. When everyone thinks we're asleep and everyone else around us is asleep, we play games in the dark. I'm surprised Alexa hasn't noticed this yet because we play at her feet and we move blankets around. We just don't spend a lot of time together during the day for some reason. I really wish we did, because Mikey is fun to play with. He's the most playful of my brothers.

Alexa got back later, and Michael was with her, like she promised. He was really happy to be staying here for the night. This would be the first time he's done this. And we were all excited. I think, out of my brothers, Mikey was the most excited, which wasn't surprising. He gets overly excited when Michael comes over. Not like we don't, it's just that Mikey shows it more.

After we all ate—we had delicious pizza and I had to admit, pizza was the best thing I've ever eaten—we settled in on the couch to watch a movie. I sat between Alexa and Michael because I think they're both awesome. Mikey sat on Michael's lap—I like how their names are so close—and Leo sat on Alexa's other side. Raph sat on Michael's other side.

I noticed how, throughout the movie, Alexa got even closer to Michael, and it would be obvious to Leo and me because I was being squished and Leo was slowly sitting next to an empty space. So, I sat on her lap instead. And eventually, I sat next to Leo because he wanted to sit next to someone.

Suddenly, I heard someone hiss in pain and I looked around. Michael was rubbing his shoulder, trying hard not to laugh. "No," Raph said and I stopped moving. He just talked. That was his first word. Wow. What a surprise.

"What?" I heard Mikey say. I smiled. That's his first words, too. That wasn't a surprise for me, either.

"Don't worry about it," Michael assured Mikey, looking at Raph. Alexa looked up at Michael.

"What happened?" she wondered, smiling.

"Raph is obviously very defensive," Michael said simply. Raph gave a short nod. She looked at him for more information. "I was trying to warm you up and Raph slugged me in the shoulder."

Alexa started laughing, trying to hold it in but failing. Leo started chuckling, too. Mikey and I were confused. Raph was just angry.

"What does that mean?" Mikey wondered.

"It means that Raph obviously does not like it when I do this," Michael said and put his arm around Alexa's shoulder, "to your mom."

Michael removed his arm before Raph could punch his shoulder again. "It's because he saw a guy do that to a girl in a movie we watched and I told them that I would probably never let a guy do that to me in my life," Alexa explained and I nodded. She had said that and apparently the lesson stuck with Raph. "Raph, it's okay. He was just doing a nice thing."

Raph nodded. "Okay," he muttered and I smiled over at him. He smiled back.

"We should go to bed. It's really getting late," Michael spoke up. Alexa nodded after looking at the time.

"Guys, upstairs. Time for bed," Alexa told us. We all jumped off the couch and headed upstairs to get settled. Normally, we get settled and then Alexa fits herself to where we started off at, and we move around in the middle of the night to make sure she's comfortable.

We grabbed all of our blankets and pillows from the bed and set up on the floor, since we had discussed the topic before we started the movie. We'd all sleep on the floor since we had more room on the floor. When we got our own rooms—I've been hearing Alexa talk to Michael about that recently but my brothers don't know—we wouldn't have to do this as much.

Michael and Alexa came in and they got set up on the floor, too. Then, my brothers and I moved so we could be laying next to one of them. I laid next to Michael and so did Mikey. Raph and Leo laid next to Alexa. Michael and Alexa looked at each other, smirking.

"They've formed alliances," Alexa snickered and Michael chuckled, looking at all of us.

"Definitely. And I honestly thought that Donnie would be with you," Michael smiled down at me. I smiled back.

"I guess he wants to spend more time with you while you're here, since he's inseparable from my side when you're not around," Alexa pointed out. Michael nodded in agreement and they both curled up under the blankets they had. I nuzzled my head into his chest and closed my eyes.

But, even though I was perfectly comfortable, and I'm sure we all were, we all switched around halfway through the night so Mikey and I were next to Alexa and Leo and Raph were next to Michael. The two sleeping humans didn't notice. I smiled as I curled up next to Alexa and got settled in. I felt her wrap her arm around me, even though she was asleep. And I was perfectly okay with this.


	11. Big Boy Bedrooms

**Pairings:**_ Alexa/Michael_

**A/N: **_Sorry to all of you who have had to wait for a while. I'm truly sorry. I just have not been having a very good week and I have to work on a science project which is due next Thursday, so I'm not all that happy about that. But, this chapter is cute. Alexa and Michael discuss the idea of the turtles having their own bedrooms, because they're getting bigger and they need their space. Donnie still hasn't started talking yet. Don't worry. He will soon, but I always think that Donnie started talking later than the others. I wouldn't know for sure, but in my mind, he's a late talker._

* * *

**Chapter 11: **_Big Boy Bedrooms_

**POV: **_Michael's_

I yawned silently, stretching my arms out over my head. I had slept well, despite that we had ended up sleeping on the floor. It was very comfortable and despite that the turtles are cold-blooded, they kept me extremely warm throughout the night. Speaking of the turtles, I looked down at them. But, I was shocked when I saw that the two older turtles, Leo and Raph, were curled up against my sides instead of Donnie and Mikey. I peeked over at Alexa, where she hugged her pillow against her. Donnie was tucked under her arm and Mikey was sleeping by her head. It was such a sweet sight.

I sat up without disturbing the turtles sleeping next to me and got to my feet, heading for my bag. For whatever reason, I always love to get a head start in the morning so I have more time to just relax. So, I pulled out my toothbrush and some clothes and headed to the bathroom. But, before I made it there, I felt someone grip my ankle. I looked down and saw Donnie looking back up at me with his wide red eyes. I crouched down and pet his head. He covered his mouth to keep from giggling and waking everyone up.

"What are you up to?" I wondered. He tugged on my pajama pants and I figured I wasn't getting an answer out of him. Maybe if I ask him questions, I'll finally know. "Are you hungry?" He shook his head no. "Thirsty?" Nope. "Do you want to follow me?" He finally nodded. I smiled at him before scooping him up in my arms, holding onto my things. "Come on, Donnie. I need to get ready for the day before I go make breakfast for everyone."

I saw Donnie's eyes widen when I mentioned breakfast. Maybe he wasn't sure he wanted to accept the fact that other people can cook aside from Alexa. But, I happen to be a great cook. I always used to cook for my parents before they died. And I wanted to thank Alexa for having me over. It was so fun last night, to be able to just relax. Until Raph punched me in the arm. I wasn't trying anything, though.

I shut the door behind me to the bathroom and I sat Donnie down on the toilet after shutting it. He looked down at his toes for a minute before reaching for them and wiggling his toes once his feet were in his grasp. I chuckled as I put toothpaste on my toothbrush.

Donnie seemed quite interested in what I was doing. It was probably due to the fact that he's probably never seen Alexa brush, and I know she does because her teeth are always so perfect. Donnie kept trying to climb onto the counter to see closer, and it made me laugh every time.

When I finished, Donnie finally got onto the counter and frowned at me when he found out that I was finished. "Sorry, Donnie, but most people normally brush for two minutes," I said to him.

I got dressed and before I finished, I heard someone knock on the door. Donnie and I started at each other with wide eyes. "Michael, are you in there?" I heard Alexa say as I pulled my shirt over my head.

"Yeah," I answered.

"Is Donnie in there with you? I can't find him anywhere," she murmured.

"Uh, yeah, he's in here. He followed me in here," I said, mentally sighing that I couldn't surprise Alexa with breakfast. Oh, well.

"Okay," she said. "Well, stay in there, because I need to get dressed." Smiling at that image, I said I would and turned to Donnie.

"I'm going to teach you how to brush your teeth, Donnie," I said to him and his eyes brightened significantly. I smiled when he showed his gappy smile. So cute.

I spent the next ten minutes teaching Donnie how to brush his teeth effectively—using my toothbrush, I might add—and after a bit, he eventually got it. And he was actually pretty good at it. He brushed for about five minutes before he finally figured that he was fine.

"Tonight, you should show your mom what I taught you. I'm sure she'd be proud," I said to Donnie, sitting on the ground with Donnie in my lap. He nodded.

"I am proud," I heard Alexa say and I gasped, looking up at her. She leaned against the door frame, watching us with a soft smile. She wore a white lace shirt with black jeans. Even though she looked very nice, she looked very comfortable. She was in her socks. "Donnie sure does catch on fast. It took me two years to actually be able to brush my teeth without help. And with Donnie, it takes two minutes."

"Yeah. I've noticed how he seems to know a bit more about everything than his brothers," I agreed.

"Well, that makes Donnie special," Alexa said and scooped him up. "He'll definitely be the smartest of his brothers. I can tell."

"Of course. Donnie always seems to be wanting to learn new things and it's extremely cute," I said. Alexa nodded.

"Donnie," she murmured, brushing her fingers over his head. He giggled again. I smiled, very glad I was done getting dressed.

"I was going to make you breakfast this morning," I sighed and she looked at me from where Donnie had crawled into her lap when she had sat down.

"You don't have to do that for me," she said honestly. "I'm not all that hungry this morning anyway. I had a lot to eat last night."

Leo, Raph, and Mikey came rushing into the bathroom and I chuckled, smiling. "Mom, I hungry," Leo moaned. Raph and Mikey nodded in agreement. Alexa looked at me with a smirk.

"It's like this every morning," she sighed and stood up, cradling Donnie close. He really enjoyed that. "Come on, guys. Let's go get you something to eat."

"Yay!" Leo, Mikey, and Raph chorused. Alexa chuckled as she led them out of the bathroom and I stood up, following after them.

It turns out that they were very messy eaters. It doesn't really surprise me. Mikey and Raph spilled like half the bowl of popcorn on me last night while trying to eat it. When they discovered that they were dropping it, they stopped eating out of the bowl and collected every single piece off of my lap. I had known that Alexa was shaking with laughter at that.

I have a feeling that their eating reflected their entire nature. Donnie was the smart one, so he took the time to eat his, being hyper aware of every move he made. He still ended up with food all over his face, though, and I thought it was cute. Leo was the careful one, so he, like Donnie, took time, and he was very precise. He wasn't as bad as the last two, and he wasn't even as bad as Donnie.

Mikey was the hyper one, so he didn't care what he did. He practically shoved the food in his face. I think he was the worst. And Raph was the not-so-careful one, so he didn't really care, but he wasn't as bad as Mikey. So, after they ate, Alexa and I bathed them.

Later that night—I was staying the weekend—Alexa and I were crowded on the floor with all four of them insisting that they slept very close to us. I looked at her over Mikey's head, who was snoring in my ear. "Have you thought about what to do about bedrooms?" I asked her, sitting up. Donnie grumbled in annoyance and scooted closer to Alexa instead.

"I actually have. It's getting a little crowded on my bed at night now that they're getting bigger," she told me. Donnie frowned at her as she sat up and he got to his feet. He walked over to Alexa's bed and climbed up. He laid down on the bed, probably not very happy with us.

"You know, I could easily help you with that. I actually helped my parents decorate my house when we moved there. I'm pretty good at it," I offered.

"I'm good with decorating, too. I just don't know where to start. All of the other bedrooms are different sizes. Who would get the biggest room? Who would get the smallest room?" she sighed.

"I'm not picking favorites or anything, but I think Donnie should have the biggest room," I said and she looked at me curiously. "I have a feeling that even though he's the youngest, he'll want to have the most room."

"For what?" she questioned.

"I know for a fact that he's going to be the brain as he gets older, so maybe books and stuff," I explained. "He'll probably need the most room.

"But that's the problem. Giving them the biggest room is a problem because only three of the four bedrooms are up here. The biggest bedroom is down in my basement. I don't want any of them to freeze," she pointed out. "I mean, I see where you're coming from and everything, but they're cold-blooded. I don't want to put any of them down there."

"Then you have your bedroom down there," I suggested. She looked at me.

"That actually might work. But the only problem with that is that I'll be two floors from them," she muttered.

"We be able to behave," Leo spoke up, sitting by Alexa's feet. Raph and Mikey nodded eagerly.

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Alexa questioned, raising an eyebrow. I knew she wasn't serious, but they obviously didn't.

"No!" the three cried.

"Good. And thanks for saying you'd behave," Alexa chuckled. "How about you, Donnie?"

I looked up at the bed and stood up. I walked over to the bed and peeked at Donnie. He was fast asleep with a pillow tight in his grip. I smiled over at Alexa. "He's asleep," I told her. She smiled back. I grabbed the blanket Donnie had used and I draped it over him before sitting down next to Alexa again.

"So, now we just have to decide who gets the rooms up here," Alexa murmured.

"Which room is the biggest?" I asked her.

"You know, I really have no idea," she said honestly.

"I want biggest room," Mikey spoke up, jumping up and down. Alexa smiled and so did I. It was really cute.

"No, I do!" Raph defended.

"And this is what I was also afraid of," Alexa moaned, laying back on her pillow.

"Guys, it's up to Alexa who gets the biggest room," I sighed.

"We'll get started on their rooms tomorrow," Alexa mumbled into her pillow. "We'll talk about this later. I'm so tired."

"I am, too," I said and laid down, curling up under my blanket. I felt whoever was laying by my feet get up and I looked up briefly. Raph had disappeared, and I shot up, looking around in the dark room. I barely caught feet disappear onto Alexa's bed and I smiled as Mikey and Leo made their way over, too. They must want to stick together as much as possible.

In the morning, Alexa was up before me. She was sitting on the bed with all the turtles, talking to them. Donnie was the only one who wasn't up yet. I grabbed my phone from where it had laid next to me all night and looked at the time.

"Have you eaten yet?" I asked her when I realized it was ten. I had slept for a while.

"Nope. I was waiting until you and Donnie were up," she answered, smiling at me. "And Donnie doesn't normally sleep all that long. So, he should be up soon."

I stood up and walked over to the bed. I pet Raph on the head, who ducked his head, his cheeks getting red slightly. "You set a good example last night, Raph," I told him. Alexa looked at me.

"How?" she asked me.

"Raph noticed how Donnie was sleeping on your bed and he went over there and joined him, and then soon after, Leo and Mikey followed his example," I told her.

"Aw, Raph! You love your brother!" Alexa cooed and hugged him. I chuckled.

"And thanks for going up there, too," I said to Mikey and Leo, who smiled. I hugged them close for a minute.

Donnie began to stir a bit before he opened his eyes weakly, still very tired. We must've woken him up. I touched his plastron slightly and he giggled softly into his pillow. "Don't try to deny it, Donnie. You're up," I chuckled and picked him up. Alexa looked at me.

"Have you ever babysat before?" she asked.

"I actually haven't," I told her.

"Well, you're really good with children," she admitted. "They all love you so much and you're so good with them."

"So are you," I pointed out.

"I actually have babysat little kids before when I was twelve. I don't know why I haven't continued that because I'm obviously good at it," she said. I smiled at her. "Are you ready to eat?"

"What are we eating?" I asked.

"Pancakes," she answered.

"Mom loves pancakes," Leo spoke up. The other three turtles nodded and I looked at Alexa with a teasing glint in my eyes.

"Really?" I asked her.

"I've always loved pancakes," she admitted, her cheeks going red.

"Well, that's nothing to be ashamed of," I told her, brushing the hair back from her eyes. "I truly love pancakes, too."

She smiled. "It's just a little embarrassing because I was the only one in my family who truly loved pancakes. My brother didn't like them at all and my parents didn't necessarily like them all that much, either. It was always so embarrassing when I asked for pancakes in the morning because it was always only me eating them," she explained. "I've been eating pancakes a ton recently."

"Don't worry. You can have as many pancakes as you like this morning. And I'm cooking," I said. She rolled her eyes.

"Fine, since you're so persistent, you can," she muttered. I smiled brightly.

We all headed downstairs, me carrying Donnie because we were worried he wasn't awake enough to walk down the stairs. That wouldn't be good for us since we can't take them to a hospital.

I made us all pancakes while Alexa kept the turtles company. We talked about what the day's plans were. We decided that for today, we'd just go through stuff that was in all the rooms. The room down in the basement where Alexa was going to be staying was empty, so we didn't have to do anything with that room.

We talked about the rooms while we were eating, and we did eventually get it through to the three older turtles that Donnie was getting the biggest room, which happened to be Alexa's.

"How'd you convince your parents to give you the biggest room in the house?" I asked her. She chuckled.

"I actually didn't have to tell them anything. When we bought this house, my parents always thought that their room was the biggest, but secretly, I knew that mine was. I still don't know how they didn't realize it," she told me, smiling. "But, yeah, Donnie is getting my room. I just don't know where the other three are going to be staying. But, the only problem is who gets the second biggest room because the other two are fairly similar in size."

"I think Raph should have the second biggest room, which is probably your parents' room. I'm not picking favorites, but he seems to want the most room. I mean, like you said, Raph gets uncomfortable in smaller places," I said. Alexa looked at me over the rim of her glass of orange juice.

"You're probably right. I mean, the other two rooms are pretty big, too, but Raph should have close to the most room," she agreed. "Leo, Mikey, you understand this, right?"

They didn't seem too happy, but they nodded as they kept eating. "Thanks for not making this all that hard on me," Alexa breathed.

After breakfast, which was delicious, we all headed upstairs to check out the rooms. Alexa admitted that she hadn't stepped foot into any of these rooms since her family had died. It hurt too much. That was why she had shut the doors. Actually, it was partly that she didn't even want to look inside the rooms and partly that she didn't want the turtles to go wandering off in the middle of the night. She didn't want to factor all that many places into where they could go.

We stopped at the door to her parents' room, Alexa freezing up. I placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. You'll be okay," I breathed in her ear, really expecting Raph to try and hurt me. "I'm here for you." She nodded, closing her eyes before reaching for the door knob and opening the door slowly.

Her parents' room was actually very nice. It clearly hasn't been touched in weeks. Alexa sighed and opened her eyes, taking my hand. "My parents were always so neat," Alexa told me. "It's definitely obvious. I take on after them. My brother does not." She turned to look behind us to Raph. "Raph, this is going to be your room."

Raph nodded and walked in, looking around. The other three ducked around our legs and peeked inside. "Wow," Mikey and Leo said.

"We're probably not going to have to change much in this room for now. They kept it pretty clean," Alexa murmured. "But, unless my brother cleaned his room when my parents died, we have a lot of work to do in his room."

While Raph explored, the rest of us made our way to Alexa's brother's room. And Alexa was right. Her brother's room was a disaster. We decided that this would be Mikey's room after it was cleaned up. "It's a mess," Mikey whined.

"We'll clean it up, Mikey," Alexa told him softly, rubbing his head. He nodded. "Trust me. When this room is clean, it's quite impressive."

"Okay," Mikey chirped. Alexa smiled a bit. It was a cute little smile. We took Leo to the other room on the second floor, which was an office at the moment.

"I'll probably move the desk down into the basement," Alexa said. "I'll probably use it more than they will. And most of the crap in this room is mine. Because I like to keep things that I write. I can guarantee you that most of the boxes in this room are mine, at least a half of all the boxes."

I chuckled. "You must really like to write then," I agreed. She nodded. "Leo, when we get this set up, this will be your bedroom."

"Okay," Leo said happily.

"And, Donnie, you'll be getting my room. We all agreed that you would get the biggest room," Alexa cooed at Donnie, who was in my arms. Donnie squealed and waved his arms and legs around in the air. "He's so freaking adorable."

"Yeah, they all are," I sighed. Donnie whined a bit, trying to squirm his way out of my arms. I chuckled and put him down on the ground. Once he was steady, he ran over to Leo and pretty much collapsed against him. Leo smiled and helped Donnie stay on his feet. Donnie gave him a big hug. It was so cute!

"They're so cute," Alexa murmured. I nodded, agreeing.

Later after we had started to clean up Mikey's room, I had to head home, which I wasn't happy about, but it was okay. I'd be coming back every day to help out. And I was very glad to do so.


	12. Bad Dreams and Comforting Embraces

**Pairings:** _Alexa/Michael_

**A/N:** _I don't have any projects for the next week as far as I know! Yay! I can update more. This chapter is the day that they get their rooms finished. It's a Sunday, so Alexa will go to school in the morning. Raph and Donnie share a brotherly moment in this chapter, and Donnie talks! Finally! I also don't write from Raph's point of view enough so I apologize if it isn't that good. And Raph and Mikey are little troublemakers in this chapter. :D_

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**Chapter 12:** _Bad Dreams and Comforting Embraces_

**POV: **_Raph's_

I was glad to finally have a room to sleep in. Leo kicks me in his sleep. I swear he does it on purpose. Now, I have my own bed to sleep in. I mean, I enjoy sleeping with Alexa. She's really nice and she's warm compared to all of us. But, I finally have my own space. I was going to enjoy it as much as possible.

Alexa came in a few minutes later. She was already in her pajamas. "How are you enjoying your new room, Raph?" she asked me, sitting down on the end of my bed. I smiled at her.

"It's really cool," I told her honestly. She smiled in response.

"Good. I was hoping you would. I mean, you told me you wanted your room to be red. I just hope it's not _too_ red," she chuckled.

"Nope. I like it," I said. She nodded and kissed my forehead. I didn't mind it when she showed affection for me. It's when my brothers do it that it annoys me.

"Good night, Raph," she murmured, giving me a hug.

"Good night, Mom," I responded, hugging her back. She stood up and gave me one more smile before shutting off the light and leaving the room.

I think I went to sleep about an hour later after playing with my toys for a while. I loved my toys. They were really awesome. She had gotten me lots of toys to play with when she had set up my room. Just like all of my brothers' rooms. I think she gave me and Mikey the most toys, though. Sure, Leo and Donnie got some, but not as much as me and Mikey.

I was awoken early in the morning to someone opening my door. "Raphie?" a voice called out to me in the room. God, it's Mikey. He had given me the nickname and I hated it. It made me sound soft. I'm not soft. I'm also not very childish.

"What is it now, Mikey?" I demanded, rubbing my eyes. Then I looked at the door and realized it was not my annoying, freckled brother. It was my youngest brother, Donnie. Wait, did he seriously just talk to me?! "Oh, hey, Donnie. What's wrong?"

Donnie ran for my bed and climbed up. After he hugged me tightly, I realized he was in tears. "What's wrong?" I asked softly. He didn't answer me, just buried his face in my plastron and cried. I rubbed the back of his head calmly. I wonder why I was the one he came to. I'm all the way across the hall from him. He could've gone to Leo, whose room was right next to his. And Leo's older than me. Why me?

Donnie eventually calmed down, but he still didn't talk to me. "Donnie, did you have a bad dream?" I wondered. He nodded into me and I sighed. I kind of figured as much. Do you miss having Mom up here?" He nodded again. That would explain why. I'm sure this isn't the first time he's had bad dreams. Alexa's probably the one who dealt with it. I just wish I knew how. But I wasn't being a very good big brother, so I held Donnie closer and rubbed his head some more. He seemed to enjoy this a bit. "Come on, Donnie. Let's go to sleep. I'll keep the scary dreams away. You're safe in here."

I laid down on my bed and I pulled him down with me. He curled up next to me, snuggling in with the purple blanket and golden brown teddy bear he had brought in with him. I wrapped an arm around him and he sighed, closing his eyes. "I love you, Donnie," I whispered.

"I love you, too, Raphie," he mumbled, half asleep already. I smiled. Okay, so the nickname wasn't that bad. It was actually kind of cute when Donnie said it. Sure, Mikey was a lovable dork, but he was my brother, and he was also really annoying. Donnie wasn't annoying. Sure, we didn't get along all that well the first few times we were left at home alone, but we got over it. Mikey and I still really have problems with that. And I figured that since the nickname was the first word out of Donnie's mouth, I'd let him use it. Since he was cute.

In the morning, I could hear Alexa freaking out. I blinked at the bright light in the hallway. It's like she had turned on every single light on except for mine. So the bright light shining right in my eyes was a shock. I rubbed my eyes, realizing that Donnie was still with me. He was sleeping peacefully, his teddy bear tucked against his plastron. A little drool came out of the corner of Donnie's mouth. I rolled my eyes and wiped it away before he could get it on my pillow. Then I realized that Alexa was freaking out because she couldn't find Donnie.

I looked down at my baby brother and sighed before getting up, trying my best not to disturb him. I walked into the hallway and Alexa almost ran into me. "Raph, have you seen Donnie?" she demanded. I nodded. "Where?!" I pointed into my room at my bed. Her eyes widened when she saw Donnie. "Was he in there all night?" I nodded again as she walked into my room. I followed behind her. I realized that she was already dressed. Oh, yeah. It's Monday. She has to go to wherever she goes during the week.

"If you had only told me that like ten minutes ago," she chuckled softly.

"I didn't realize you were looking for him. And you shoulda looked everywhere he coulda gone first," I pointed out.

She rolled her eyes. I just know it. She looked at Donnie for a minute before looking back at me. "Are you hungry?" she asked me. I nodded. At least I'm not like Mikey who's always hungry. I'm only hungry after I sleep and at the times that it's time to eat. "Then help me get Mikey and Leo up."

"What about Donnie?" I asked.

She glanced down at him. "He seems really tired. I'll leave him something to eat or we can bring him some in a bit. But I have like twenty minutes before I need to leave," she explained. I nodded, understanding. She liked to be on time.

We both got Mikey and Leo up, and while I was waking Mikey up, Donnie walked into his room. Before he could get in, I darted out and caught him. "Donnie, it's time to eat," I told him. He rubbed his eyes sleepily and nodded. It was cute. His bright red eyes were dull this morning, totally out of it now. Mikey came out of his room and we all headed downstairs where Leo was already eating toast. Alexa sat three other plates down and she ate at the counter, hurried. When she was done, she paced around the kitchen until we were all done. Then she cleaned our dishes, got us situated on the couch, said goodbye, and left in a hurry. Donnie headed up to his room to go back to sleep. I can imagine he was really tired. He must not have slept as much as I thought he had.

Leo headed up to his room to play with his toys by himself. So, that left me and Mikey downstairs by ourselves. We were both too lazy to go upstairs. So, we decided to explore more of the house than we had been allowed to. We went to the kitchen first. It was mainly off-limits during the day. We had never thought to disobey the rules and go wandering around. Today would be the first time.

The kitchen was quite interesting. We did end up spilling stuff on the floor, and we weren't sure how to clean it up. So, we left it, planning our alibis on why we spilled it. They weren't very good ones.

"Raphie, what are we going to do now?" Mikey asked me. I shrugged, biting my tongue to keep from yelling at him for using the nickname that was now off-limits to everyone except for Donnie.

"Maybe we should go find somewhere else to explore," I suggested. Mikey nodded. We wandered around the house some more until we came across a door. We reached up and opened the door. My first thought was that it was really cold. Then we saw the snow falling.

"Yay!" Mikey and I cheered and ran out into the snow. We just weren't aware that the door had shut at the time.

When we got cold, which was about two hours later, we tried to get back into the house, but we found out that it was really hard to open doors when your hands are numb. We pounded on the door.

"Please! We're freaking cold out here!" I cried. I was freezing and I couldn't feel my fingers. That wasn't a good thing.

"Donnie, Leo! Anyone!" Mikey shivered, banging on the door like his life depended on it. And right now, it might.

A few minutes later, Leo and Donnie opened the door. They were shocked to see us come in, and I'm sure we were completely blue. Leo and Donnie looked at each other after they shut the door before Donnie ran upstairs while Leo got me and Mikey to the couch. He sat us down and helped wrap us in the blankets Donnie dragged down.

"Why'd you guys do that?" Leo asked once we were tucked in.

"Yeah, not the smartest idea. I get that now, Leo," I snapped, my teeth chattering so much I'm sure my older brother didn't understand half of that. Donnie tucked himself in between me and Mikey and closed his eyes. Leo sat on the table in front of the couch, crossing his legs under himself. We were all like that when I fell asleep.

I was awoken to something practically burning my skin. "Ah!" I yelled and Alexa barely avoided spilling whatever she had in her mug on me when I tried to push her hands away. But I suppose it was welcome to freezing my shell off earlier. But I felt fine now. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that Donnie was actually quite warm.

"You're lucky Donnie and Leo heard you guys," Alexa sighed, sitting down on the table. "If you had been out there any longer, you would've gotten frost bite and then eventually died. Don't do that again, okay?"

"I think they should get a punishment for doing it so they know for next time what's coming if they try it again," Leo muttered and I glowered at him.

"Leo, they almost froze to death. I think that's punishment enough," Alexa said softly. She handed me a mug and then she handed one to Mikey. "Drink this, guys. It'll warm you up for sure."

"Thank you," Mikey and I mumbled and drank whatever was in the mugs. Mmm. It's good!

Donnie curled up next to me and laid his head on my shoulder while I drank the stuff. "It hot chocolate," Donnie whispered, closing his eyes. Alexa smiled at him. He must've talked to her earlier. She would've reacted a lot more excitedly if it had been the first time he had talked in front of her.

I finished the mug of hot chocolate in a matter of minutes. And it did warm me up. I'm sure it warmed Mikey up, too. "Okay, so you guys learned something important. When I tell you not to go anywhere, I mean it. And never go outside unless I tell you it's okay. Oh, and thanks for the mess in the kitchen, you guys. I really needed that today," Alexa muttered the last part sarcastically. She cracked her knuckles and it sounded painful. She took the mugs from us and went out to the kitchen.

"Raphie, Mommy got beat up again today," Donnie breathed into me. His hot breath tickled on my skin. But I felt bad for Alexa. There was always this one girl who didn't like Alexa for whatever reason. And Alexa always got beat up by her. This was…what? Her fifth time getting beat up that I know about? I don't know.

Alexa came back out into the living room with Michael at her side. He held her hand in his and in her other hand, she held a mug full of the hot chocolate. Michael kept his eyes on the ground.

Later, Michael went home before it got too snowy outside. Alexa put us all to bed early tonight, and I didn't honestly blame her for sending me and Mikey early. We had caused a lot of trouble for her. And I swore to myself then. I wouldn't ever do that again. Because, honestly, I didn't feel like freezing to death. Also, I didn't want to upset Alexa any more than I already had. It was only fair.


	13. Valentine's Day

**Pairings:** _Alexa/Michael_

**A/N:** _Sorry if last chapter sucked. I promise this one should be slightly better. And I will continue Donnie's Adventures in Babysitting soon. But this one will be better than the last chapter. I was so tired when I wrote it. I usually think better if I'm fully awake._

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**Chapter 13:** _Valentine's Day_

**POV: **_Alexa_

Two weeks after Donnie had started talking, he had learned how to read. I honestly didn't feel offended when the turtles went to Donnie for him to read to them before they went to bed. They were quite honestly impressed that their baby brother was better at things than they were. That was when I came to the realization that Donnie was probably going to be learning lots of new things. It would be fun to help him learn what he wanted to know.

I sat down on his bed that night and he smiled up at me. He was still up, even though his brothers had gone to bed an hour before. "What are you still doing up?" I wondered, although I knew the answer. He was quite absorbed with the book he was reading. It was a picture book that he was reading, and he was trying to match the words with the pictures.

"Reading," he stated honestly.

"Donnie, do you think you'd be interested in learning?" I asked him and he looked at me, his childish curiosity burning in his big red eyes.

"Learn what?" he questioned excitedly.

"Anything you want to know," I told him and he smiled widely.

"Anything?" he checked. I nodded. "How about what you're learning now?"

"I'm learning lots of things at this point in time," I said. "Pick one."

"The thing I was watching you do the other day with Michael," he picked.

"Okay. I sort of figured that you'd be interested in science," I smiled. "But for now, you need to go to bed."

He pouted up at me and I sighed. "Donnie, if you go to bed now, I promise I'll start teaching you things after I get my homework done tomorrow," I explained. His eyes grew wide as he put the book down and shut the light off. I smiled into the darkness as I kissed his forehead. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Mommy," Donnie whispered. I left the room silently and shut the door behind me. I would gladly teach Donnie all he wanted to know. Then I might have a studying buddy aside from Michael. I'm sure Donnie would be brilliant.

In the morning, I didn't wake the turtles up. They knew how to get something to eat on their own. They didn't feel like eating much recently now that it was getting slightly warmer. I don't know why, but they interested themselves in eating cereal. So, they didn't need me to make them breakfast.

But, Donnie got up, anyway. He was eager to see me today. "You're lucky it's Wednesday and that I'm getting home sooner," I told him as he ate breakfast with me. He smiled his adorable smile at me and I smiled in response. "Michael will help me teach you the basics of science when we get done with our homework and studying. He already agreed to help me."

"Thank you for helping me," Donnie said honestly. I smiled.

"Don't mention it. It's nothing. You deserve to learn stuff," I agreed. "So do your brothers, but none of them have shown an interest for learning yet. I'll probably teach them stuff after you start learning. You could help me with that."

Donnie smiled at me and I smiled back. "So, you're still interested in learning science, are you?" He nodded. "Okay, so I'm not going to be able to teach you everything that I've learned, so you're going to learn the stuff that I've learned most recently and you can fill in the blanks if you want. I'll probably be able to help you with that, though."

"This will be so fun," he giggled and I grinned.

"I know it will. And I'm glad you're interested in learning. I'm really happy about that," I agreed.

"Happy about what?" I heard someone else ask. I looked over at my side and found Leo standing there.

"That Donnie wants to learn some new things today," I told him as I picked him up and put him in my lap. Donnie nodded in agreement.

"Hmm," Leo sighed. I looked at him. "Sounds boring." I smiled.

"To you, and probably Raph and Mikey, it would sound boring," I chuckled. I set Leo down on the floor as I got up to wash my dishes. That was when I heard a knock on my door. I sat my plate down on the counter and ran for the door.

"It's Michael," Donnie and Leo agreed. I rolled my eyes as I opened the door.

"Hey, Michael," I sighed happily. He smiled and I blushed slightly.

"Good morning. And happy Valentine's Day," Michael murmured as I let him in. I froze. Oh, man! I forgot it was Valentine's Day! I didn't get him anything.

"Happy Valentine's Day," I whispered, closing the door. He looked at me as my cheeks grew red.

"You forgot what day it is, didn't you?" he chuckled. I nodded shyly. "It's okay. But I did get you something." He walked up to me and pulled out a single white flower. It wasn't a rose, though. It was a beautiful lily. He slipped it behind my ear and my cheeks reddened even more. He smiled at me, and it was truly angelic. "You're beautiful," he whispered. I swear, my heart stopped beating.

Both of us jumped when we heard Leo and Donnie behind us. Then Michael's face got red, too, as we both turned around. "We're still here," Leo pointed out.

"Uh, yeah," I agreed shyly. "You guys are. Um, Michael and I have to go to school now. I love you both."

"Love you, too, Mommy," Leo and Donnie chorused. I smiled slightly as I picked my backpack up off the ground and slung it over my shoulder. Michael and I were quick to get out of there.

"Oh, God," I moaned as we walked away from my house. "They probably saw and heard everything."

"That's embarrassing," Michael sighed. I nodded.

"Well, no matter what, thanks for the gift," I said.

"You're welcome. And what I said is the truth. You really are beautiful," he told me. I looked down at my feet as my cheeks got red again, and it had nothing to do with the cold weather.

Later after I finished my homework at my house, Michael and I decided to start helping Donnie. Donnie was very eager to get started, so it didn't take any time to get him focused and ready. We helped him learn about science for an hour until he got tired. He had been too excited to nap throughout the day. So, that was his fault. But, at least he held out for a while. Michael and I put him to sleep in his bed and went back downstairs.

I laid back against the couch. "You know, it's too bad we didn't get tickets to the dance tonight," Michael mentioned and I looked at him.

"You have actually gone to the dance before?" I asked him.

"Not with a date. Just with my friends," he answered. "It's actually pretty fun."

"Whatever. I've never gone to a dance before in my life," I laughed. He smirked.

"You don't open up enough," he commented.

"Your parents made you go with your friends, didn't they?" I questioned. His cheeks grew red slightly and I laughed.

"They made me go once. I wanted to go last year. It was fun in sixth grade," he told me. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, one thing you're probably never going to see me doing is going to a dance. I-I don't like going to things like that," I admitted.

"Maybe I can change that," he said simply. I glanced at him and he chuckled at the look I gave him. "I should get going. It's getting late."

"Yeah," I breathed. "Bye, Michael."

"Bye, Alexa. See you tomorrow," he murmured. He grabbed his bag off of the floor and headed out.

A few minutes after Michael left, someone came running down the stairs at such a speed that it wouldn't have surprised me if they had tripped. I looked back and found Mikey running over to me. He jumped up onto the couch.

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy," Mikey said eagerly.

"What? What? What?" I asked him.

"What's oxygen?" he questioned and I chuckled, smiling widely.

"Oxygen is what we breathe so we stay alive," I told him. His eyes grew wide and took a deep breath. I chuckled again. "Is Donnie confusing you guys?"

"Yes!" Mikey whined. I shook my head, smiling.

"Well, tell Donnie that you know what oxygen is now," I encouraged.

"Okay," Mikey squeaked and got off my lap, running back upstairs. Curious, I decided to follow.

I found all of them crowded around each other in Donnie's room. And the first thing that seemed off about this was that in the center of them all, my science text-book was being looked at. How Donnie grabbed that, I have no clue. And it wasn't Mikey. I would've seen him.

"Guys, what are you doing?" I asked them and they all gasped, looking in my direction.

"Learning," Mikey answered. I smiled again, unable to help it. They were just too cute.

"Whose idea was this?" I wondered. The three older ones pointed at their youngest brother and he smiled shyly. "Well, you guys are really cute. And I'm glad you all share an interest in this."

Raph shook his head and I rolled my eyes in his direction. "Admit it, Raph. You want to learn, too, like Donnie," I said and sat down by them. They all gladly welcomed me in the circle and I helped explain everything for hours until they all fell asleep happily. I placed them all in their correct beds and went to bed, smiling to myself. I just couldn't help it anymore. They're just so cute.


	14. Reading Buddies

**Pairings:**_ Michael/Alexa_

**A/N:**_ I finally found inspiration for this story again. I'm so glad. I think that the more time I spend thinking of writing other stories helps me remember the other ones I have started. And also, I'm getting closer to finishing the editing process of the actual story of this. I'm happy about that. How many of you saw the turtles last Saturday? Oh, I love that. I can't wait until the next episode. And I saw a promo of where Donnie's spying on April and Casey talking to each other, and he's like, "What are they saying?" Then, since he was leaning over the edge of the building, he loses his balance and falls in a dumpster. I can't wait until that actually happens. Donnie's such a dork sometimes!_

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**Chapter 14: **_ Reading Buddies_

**POV: **_ Mikey's(The first time for this story)_

I nervously swung my feet over the edge of my bed, impatiently waiting for Donnie to get in here. Donnie almost always came in to read to me at night before we went to bed. And Donnie was late. Of course, Donnie could tell me a thousand reasons for why he wasn't up here when—if—he gets up here. Like, he got sick and didn't feel so good for a minute, or tripped on the stairs, or his bath was taking too long, or something. But, I needed Donnie to read to me. It helped me sleep better.

Donnie came in a few minutes later. My head snapped up as he sat on my bed. "You're late," I sighed.

"I know, big bro. And I'm sorry," Donnie answered. What? No excuse? So not Donnie.

"Are you going to keep reading me the book from last night?" I wondered.

"Only if you want me to," Donnie said eagerly, holding a pile of books in his arms. He set them down on the bed in front of both of us—we were sitting so we were facing each other—and we went through the books, trying to find the chapter book Donnie had started to read to me. Hmm. What was it called again?

Donnie dug it out of the pile then stacked the other books on the floor by the end of my bed. He pulled himself up next to me so we were both under the blankets. I curled up next to him, like always. For a cold-blooded turtle, Donnie was pretty warm. So, it was always fun keeping warm next to him.

Donnie opened the book up to the part where we had stopped off at. I got settled and Donnie read to me for a while. I'm sure I fell asleep next to him. And you can't blame me. Donnie's voice is so soothing and like music. It was so peaceful and relaxing compared to what Raph sounds like through the day—all yells and no soft voice. Sure, I yell at him a lot for yelling at me and it's never quiet around here except for at night. And that's due to Donnie being really soft and gentle. And I'm normally the last person he reads to, so sometimes, Donnie falls asleep next to me. Once, he was even out before I was! He puts himself to sleep with his calm voice and tone. It's funny.

In the morning, Mom and Michael were already up by the time we got up. Yay! Saturday morning breakfast! They always make breakfast on Saturday whenever Michael stays the night. So, pretty much every Saturday. Donnie was still fast asleep in my bed. He must've fallen asleep before he could get up to leave. I poked Donnie and I saw his toes twitch. I smiled and poked him some more until his eyes opened. His dull red eyes met mine. I smiled even wider. He smiled. "Good morning, Donnie," I murmured.

"'Morning, Mikey," he chuckled. He sat up, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Come on. Breakfast is ready," I told him. He smiled and jumped up. I followed him as he ran downstairs. He was always the most eager for breakfast on Saturdays. Because, separately, Michael and Mom were amazing cooks. Can you imagine what it tastes like when they put their minds and skills together?

We all enjoyed breakfast, then we went outside to play in the remaining snow of April for a while. Then we went inside, bathed, ate lunch, then did stuff the rest of the day. Michael, Mom, Leo, and Raph watched a movie for a while. During that time, Donnie read to me up in my room. I loved it when Donnie read to me and I was almost always asking him to read to me. And, to me, it wasn't weird when Donnie read to me. Usually, it should be the other way around, since he was younger than me. But, Donnie was the only one who could read at the moment and we liked stories. I'm sure Raph or Leo feel a little uncomfortable with going to their baby brother to do stuff for them. But, I like it because Donnie's good at what we ask him to do.

I think Mom had been standing in the doorway for about ten minutes before I noticed her. But, she wasn't planning on doing anything. She must just be listening to Donnie. She was smiling softly as she leaned against the doorframe. Donnie didn't notice her, or if he did, he didn't show it, which was hard for him because Donnie always smiled whenever he saw Mom.

Donnie fell asleep while he was reading and this is why we read while tucked into my bed. Then we don't have to do anything for the other if they fall asleep. They'd already be comfortable enough. Mom came into the room and took the book from Donnie's hands. She smiled at me. "You guys are really cute," she sighed as she sat down and rubbed my head. I smiled widely. "And you really adore Donnie, don't you?" I nodded. I slipped out from under my covers and crawled into her lap.

"I wish I knew how to read. Then I could read to Donnie," I murmured into her stomach. I couldn't see her reaction to that, but I'm sure she smiled.

"That'd be a great idea. Maybe Donnie could teach you. I'm sure he would love teaching you how to," she told me. "And he'd really enjoy having someone other than me read to him at night."

"I just feel sort of bad because Donnie reads to me every night and I'm never able to give him anything in return," I muttered.

"Don't worry, Mikey. Donnie doesn't really want anything, but if you really want to, you can get Donnie to teach you how to read so you can read to him sometimes," she explained as she tucked me back in. "I have to go get Raph and Leo to take a nap. Yay. Well, Raph is the only one who I have a problem with when it comes to naps. You guys are fine with it."

I smiled as she kissed the top of my head and she left before I closed my eyes. I felt Donnie curl up next to me before I fell asleep and my smile grew even more. I wrapped my arms around Donnie and tucked my head against the pillow, pulling Donnie closer. It was nice.

After we ate dinner, Donnie and I headed up to Donnie's room. He wanted to play with his toys for a bit before he tried to teach me how to read. I just watched him play with himself because that's all he wanted for a bit. So, he was sprawled out on the floor with his stuffed toys, doing whatever he felt like. Donnie was probably the only one out of all of us who could play by themselves, even though sometimes it'd be better if we did play by ourselves because we could get into arguments. But, Donnie was the most creative and could think like several different people so if he were completely alone, he could keep himself entertained for a while.

Then, after a few minutes of Donnie playing with his toys—actually getting into a heated argument with one of his stuffed bears. It was cute—we settled into his bed. And Donnie taught me how to read.

"Pillow," Donnie read, placing his finger under the word. "Just like you would say it. Pillow."

"Pillow," I stated. Donnie smiled hopefully.

"And what is a pillow?" he wondered. I pointed at the pillow that I was sitting on. He nodded. "Good. What's a book?" I pointed at the book in his hands. He smiled. Then he showed me the word in the mentioned book. "Book."

"Book," I read. His smile grew. Good. I was good at this. I guess it helps that the book that Donnie's starting me off with had a lot of words that I already knew how to say. I just needed to look at the words and then associate them with the objects. Then I would know how to read them in the book. Donnie must've planned this. It was perfect for me and it was really helping me.

I was positive I fell asleep while I was reading the book to Donnie. And I knew I fell asleep smiling. I'm sure Donnie did, too. I was good at this. And Donnie kept telling me this. I finally felt like I was giving back to my baby brother.

In the morning, Donnie was actually waiting up for me. He had the book in his hands. "Come on, Mikey. Let's go eat," Donnie chirped and I nodded. By the time we got to the stairs, Donnie was looking in the book. He stopped me before I could go down the stairs.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked him. "I just want to go eat."

Apparently, Donnie felt like it was his job to continue to teach me how to read and teach me to remember everything. By using my weakness against me in order for me to remember. Man, it was smart. And I guess I understand how Donnie thought of it. It was clever, just like he was.

Every time I could remember the word without looking at the object, we got to walk down one more step. We were halfway down the stairs when Raph and Leo tried to come down. They were not happy with either one of us for the delay.

"Come on! Walk faster! I'm starving," Raph snapped at our backs.

"Be patient," Donnie responded shortly. He showed me the word he wanted me to read and I smiled. It was an easy one.

"Toy," I said proudly and we took one step downstairs. Leo groaned.

"So this is what you guys are doing? At least let us go," Leo sighed at us.

"No. You should be doing this, too. Mikey's trying to learn," Donnie pointed out and I nodded, smiling back at my older brothers brightly. We eventually made it down the stairs and Raph and Leo ran for the kitchen. Probably to complain.

"Thanks for helping me with this, Donnie. Maybe I'll soon be as good as you," I said. He smiled at me.

"No problem, Mikey. I like helping you guys. It's fun. And you will be as good as me soon. I promise you that," Donnie answered. Mom and Michael came walking out to us.

"Ignore what they say. I'm glad you are learning, Mikey, and that you're teaching him how, Donnie," Mom told us. Michael nodded.

"And it obviously works. I could hear you as you came down the stairs. You're pretty fast, Mikey," Michael added.

"Thank you," I chuckled. "I think part of that is that Donnie made sure I knew almost all the words before I fell asleep. He's gotten it in my mind and now I'm not going to forget." Donnie grinned widely.

Donnie and I read together while we were eating and I'm sure it annoyed the life out of Raph, because he was the one sitting between us. Raph was trying very hard not to yell at either one of us. So, at some point, it became a game for Donnie and me, to see how long Raph would last before he yelled at us. He lasted about a minute after realizing that we were doing it to annoy him. And everyone knew before him.

"Leo, trade me places. I can't take it anymore," Raph begged after he yelled at us and we kept reading, ignoring Raph.

"Why should I? You chose to sit there today," Leo murmured and I smirked slyly.

"Please, Leo!" Raph gasped.

"Fine. I'll sit there," Mom spoke up. Raph let out a relieved sigh as he took his plate and sat in Mom's spot. Mom sat between Donnie and me. She read with us and it was nice having someone like Mom read to us because, like Donnie, her voice was clear and gentle. Also, she knew a ton more than us and could read better than either one of us. Probably both of us put together, and Donnie can read a lot. Raph, after finishing, ran up to his room to get away from us. Since we were "bothering" him. Mission accomplished. I learned how to read a great deal of easy words, and I finally drove Raph insane. Yay! Not bad for a Sunday morning. I was already planning on what I wanted to read with Donnie tonight. Maybe we could go read something for Raph later tonight…


End file.
